Our Vision Statement
What do we aspire to create, what will we see?
ÌÇÐijöÆ· will be a leader in developing socially-engaged and accountable leaders through high-quality community engagement opportunities that support educational excellence and student success, and foster sustainable and equitable campus-community partnerships that offer transformative opportunities for students, faculty, and local and global communities to create a more just and equitable world for all.
Our Mission Statement
What will we do?
The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) fosters and advocates for high-impact community engagement opportunities that enhance educational excellence and student success. The Center promotes a culture in which all departments, faculty, staff, and students actively collaborate with the community, guided by a cooperative approach to building long-term sustainable partnerships that address societal challenges to build a more thriving and equitable community
2026-2029 Strategic Plan
Introduction: Center for Community Engagement Strategic Framework
As Ventura County’s only public four-year university, California State University Channel Islands (ÌÇÐijöÆ·) was founded through a community-led effort to expand access to higher education and strengthen regional opportunity. That founding commitment to access, equity, and public service remains central to the university’s mission and is advanced through the work of the Center for Community Engagement (CCE).
Per its charter, community engagement at ÌÇÐijöÆ· encompasses the full range of courses, activities, programs, and partnerships through which students, faculty, and staff collaborate with communities to advance mutual benefit. Educating for community engagement means equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to become informed, responsible, and active participants in civic life.
This strategic plan advances the goals of ÌÇÐijöƷ’s 2030 Strategic Plan and affirms our identity as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by strengthening equitable access, expanding high-impact experiential learning, deepening regional partnerships, and enhancing student success and social mobility. Situated within a region marked by both economic vitality and persistent educational inequities, the CCE serves as a catalyst for inclusive excellence, civic engagement, and community-defined impact. Through intentional alignment with institutional priorities, the Center reinforces ÌÇÐijöƷ’s role as an anchor institution committed to long-term regional resilience and shared prosperity.
Building on Our Momentum
The Center recently completed its 2024 Strategic Plan—marking the fourth strategic planning cycle since ÌÇÐijöƷ’s founding in 2002. Over the past two decades, the CCE has made significant strides in institutionalizing its infrastructure and logistical frameworks (guided by Furco’s rubric – The Institutionalization of Service-Learning in Higher Education), while leveraging strong academic and community partnerships to expand access to community engagement opportunities. Furco's rubric provided the campus with a research-based framework to assess institutional strengths, identify areas for growth, and strategically embed service-learning into the university's mission, academic programs, faculty support structures, and community partnerships. These efforts have enabled the CCE to build and offer a wide range of curricular and co-curricular service-learning, volunteer, and community engagement programs. The development of this robust infrastructure has allowed for flexible, diverse pathways for student involvement, aligned with varying schedules, interests, and academic goals. As a result, not only has student participation remained, but the quality and impact of these experiences have deepened—fostering a more integrated and civically engaged campus culture. By the conclusion of the 2024 strategic planning cycle, the CCE determined that service-learning had become institutionalized at CSU Channel Islands, evidenced by its sustained integration into the university's mission, academic culture, faculty practices, administrative and organizational frameworks, and community partnerships.
With a long-standing history of institutional support, faculty development, and community collaboration, the CCE was well-positioned to complete, submit, and receive the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. The application highlights ÌÇÐijöƷ’s deep institutional commitment to civic engagement, reflected in the resources dedicated to this work and the comprehensive examples of student learning and community partnership across campus and in the community. Community engagement at ÌÇÐijöÆ· is not just an initiative—it’s a core part of who we are.
Looking ahead, the CCE is now poised to embark on its 2030 Strategic Plan, which will prioritize program enhancement to further increase the depth, reach, and impact of service-learning. Key areas of focus include refining faculty development offerings, expanding student engagement across disciplines, and enhancing assessment practices (EAB) to better understand student learning outcomes and community impact. These efforts will continue to support a sustainable, integrated service-learning infrastructure that continues to strengthen long-term partnerships and responds effectively to the evolving needs of the communities we serve.
2026-2029 Strategic Goals
How will we turn big ideas into achievable outcomes?
- Bolster the institutional culture of high-quality community engagement for greater educational excellence and student success.
- Support student learning and success through high-quality curricular and co-curricular community engagement.
- Enhance assistance to faculty and programs for developing high-quality community engagement to assure educational excellence.
- Strengthen the capacity of community partners and more fully integrate them to build a more thriving and equitable community.
- Raise awareness about community engagement and its connection to CI 2030’s strategic goals.
Conclusion
The CSU Channel Islands Center for Community Engagement is deeply grateful to the many stakeholders who contributed to this planning process, including community partners, students, campus colleagues, and advisory board leaders. The Center is pleased to have developed a plan that will actively guide its work over the next three years, strengthening its commitment to providing students with meaningful, supportive, and transformative educational experiences. This plan ensures the Center remains intentional in its purpose—centering community voices, supporting students, and fostering authentic, collaborative relationships across the ÌÇÐijöÆ· campus and with community partners—to advance a more just, equitable, and engaged region.