Community Engagement
Cal State Fullerton is an engaged campus...
That means we integrate the community into every aspect of the university's mission and operations. Students performing clinical hours, doing their student teaching, or serving internships take the classroom with them, and service-learning students reflect their community experiences back to their courses. Faculty members engage with industry, government, community and learned societies to apply and extend their research and bring it into the classroom. Administrative and operational divisions build community partnerships to explore and address the issues that concern our present and future health as a campus and a region. We are dedicated to sustainable systems for operating our physical plant, and we share our best practices and research about sustainable methods. Our students, faculty, staff and alumni volunteer and hold leadership positions in all aspects of community and campus life.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching awarded Cal State Fullerton the prestigious Community Engagement Classification in 2014 for a 10-year period. Similar to accreditation, the award signifies evidence of "exemplary institutionalized practices of community engagement." In announcing the classification, the foundation cited our "excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement." Cal State Fullerton was in the second cohort of universities invited to apply for the classification in 2008, and was one of only 125 institutions to be so recognized. By 2014, there were 325 institutions holding the classification. Cal State Fullerton may begin the renewal process in 2023 for the 2025 classification.
The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, launched in 2006, annually recognizes institutions of higher education for their commitment to and achievement in community service. The President's Honor Roll increases the public's awareness of the contributions that colleges and their students make to local communities and the nation as a whole.
Cal State Fullerton has been named to the Honor Roll for outstanding service for eight consecutive years (five times with distinction). Selection to the Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition an institution can achieve for its commitment to service–learning and civic engagement. Most of the hours reported in Cal State Fullerton's Honor Roll applications are performed by students enrolled in courses that provide practical learning experiences outside the classroom. These courses include internships and externships, service–learning, practicums and fieldwork.
Each year the campus honors students, faculty, community partners, and clubs/organizations for their outstanding accomplishments in service. Please visit the Community Engagement Awards pages for information about applying and for description of prior honorees.
Dr. Jennifer A. Yee was named Campus Compact Western Region's Community Engaged Scholar
(2017). The award recognizes one faculty member from a Campus Compact Western Region member campus who has demonstrated deeply engaged, high-quality academic work, community collaboration for change, and institutional impact. Thanks to Dr. Jee, the faculty of the Asian American Studies program, and community partners Orange County Asian & Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA) for their outstanding accomplishments in service to our communities.
Past Honors
Cal State Fullerton was one of five U.S. colleges and universities to be honored with the 2014 Community Engagement Award, an annual recognition of higher education institutions for their leadership and innovation in civic engagement. The award, from The Washington Center and New York Life Foundation, honors higher education institutions that reach beyond their own campuses to achieve sustainable civic impacts. Cal State Fullerton strives to be a center of activity for the intellectual, cultural and economic development of its region. With more than 13,000 students engaged in the community through courses and volunteer service, the University maintains reciprocal community partnerships across a diverse range of fields. For instance, the Urban Agriculture Community-Based Research Experience comprises several community partnerships that offer students and faculty research and service opportunities to advance healthy and sustainable nutrition and agriculture to address issues like obesity, diabetes and hunger.
