Many students who come to the University of Denver want to contribute to the public good and con­tinue their civic development. The Center for Community Engagement to advance Scholarship and Learning (CCESL) leads the campus in embracing the University of Denver’s commitment to “being a great private university dedicated to the public good.” CCESL's vision is that everyone experiences liberation and flourishing through their community-university collaborations. Therefore, CCESL programs foster collaboration among faculty, staff, students, and community partners to advance knowledge and social change for the public good. 

CCESL offers students opportunities to engage in meaningful collaborations with communities. Students develop the knowledge, skills, and commitments to become agents of collaborative change, believing in their power to act in concert with others. Students apply the philosophy and skills of the community organizing model, such as identifying self-interest, building relationships, understanding root causes, restructuring power, and centering the experience of the communities most impacted by injustice and systemic oppression, to inform how we build partnerships for community engagement.   Students collaborate with community partners to take on special projects that tackle real-world challenges defined by one of CCESL’s community partners through the ChangeMaker Internship Program. Students connect learning and doing through community-engaged courses that involve partnerships between classes and communities. These courses, which contribute to the Community Engagement for the Public Good undergraduate minor, offer students opportunities to develop critical thinking skills, enhance civic engagement, address public issues, and cultivate leadership abilities.

Students transfer their learning from classes to projects that address complex problems important to them and the public good through Signature Work, with individualized mentorship from faculty and staff.  Honing skills to become tomorrow’s civic leaders, students learn to collaborate through research and creative work with community partners from CCESL’s Scholar Shop. As Community-Engaged Fellows or Scholars, students develop their civic identities while preparing for active participation in civic life through public good work that centers community collaboration. Students connect community-engaged activities to academic learning through critical reflection, examination of root causes, community building, and increasing campus and community capacities. 

CCESL is a gateway for students to deepen their public good work. Please visit our website, follow us @du_ccesl, or send us an email ccesl@du.edu.