Rutgers–Camden Civic Scholars is a learning community of select students who make a substantial commitment to civic engagement in our host city and region.
Community Engagement
At the core of who we are as a university is a commitment to be deeply engaged in the community we’re proud to call home. Our nationally recognized community engagement initiatives are in collaboration with the Camden community and organizations from around the region to make meaningful impact.
Our Community Engagement Approach
Our community engagement initiatives connect Rutgers–Camden to communities beyond our campus. Working with local partners, we support efforts to meet the challenges facing our city, county, and region through engaged civic learning, volunteerism and service, community-based research, and integrated efforts and partnerships. Community engagement work is done through intentional, mutually beneficial relationships between DICE, faculty, students, and community agencies wherein the work and the product of that work is shared, expectations and limitations are outlined through honest communication, and plans for sustainability and closure are well-understood between those that engage.
Pillars of Community Engagement
Since 2011, the Rutgers–Camden Civic Scholars program has connected with city and regional agencies and nonprofits to provide direct service and capacity-building assistance in areas spanning many issues and needs.
Rutgers–Camden faculty members advance student learning and community development through courses that integrate civic engagement into the curriculum.
Civic learning courses have been taught by faculty fellows across many disciplines in all of the colleges and schools at Rutgers–Camden.
The DICE Faculty Fellows program equips Rutgers–Camden faculty with essential tools for community-based research and a comprehensive toolkit for community-engaged scholarship. Through the Community Engagement unit, faculty members are prepared to design and implement high-quality Engaged Civic Learning courses, fostering impactful community partnerships.
The Office of the Chancellor offers grants to support courses integrating the pedagogy of civic learning. Appropriate courses for funding combine traditional academic work and sustained community engagement.
The Community Engagement Graduate Fellows program at Rutgers–Camden connects emerging scholars with faculty across disciplines to support engaged learning and civic development among undergraduates.
The K–12 Partnerships initiatives focus on developing collaborative partnerships and initiatives that help to achieve better outcomes for youth and families in the city of Camden, especially those in North Camden, the neighborhood adjacent to the Rutgers–Camden campus.
A partnership between Rutgers–Camden and the City of Camden and other community organizations to enhance programming and resources for Camden residents at the city's community centers.
The RUC Votes Coalition is a Student-Faculty-Staff Coalition dedicated to providing nonpartisan election information and engaging our community in elections.
Powered by the national volunteer-matching and engagement-tracking platform GivePulse, RCommunity is an online platform used to track and document curricular and co-curricular engagement of students, faculty, staff, community partners and alumni.
Rutgers University—Camden offers programs for the greater community through the Division of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement and through partners across campus in a variety of areas, including education, economic development, law and public policy.
Annually the Rutgers-Camden community gathers to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
DICE General Funding Request
DICE is pleased to announce the availability of funding to support individual and group DEI-related efforts within our beloved community. DICE funding is intended to support initiatives and activities that are targeted towards DEI education, capacity building, awareness, and allyship. We are specifically interested in funding efforts that advance opportunities to dismantle inequities and racism that impact our campus culture
IDEA Innovation Grant
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy (IDEA) innovation grants support projects that enable students, faculty, and staff across Rutgers University to take an active role in building an inclusive community. As we invest in broader institutional efforts to advance equity, the IDEA grant program offers a way for innovative grassroots efforts to join in our larger strategy. We invite projects that encourage understanding and learning, invest in relationship-building across difference, and offer new ways to promote equity and diversity to achieve our goal of an inclusive university culture.
Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement (DICE)
121 Market St. Camden, NJ 08102
856-225-7060