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.
Through the Civic Engagement Faculty Fellows program, the Office of Civic Engagement prepares Rutgers–Camden faculty members to design and implement high-quality civic learning courses.
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 Civic 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.
Make an Impact
There are many ways that we can make a substantial impact in the lives of others, as well as our own.
Students
Through academic courses and programs, along with co-curricular experiences, Rutgers–Camden students become active participants in making positive change. Along the way, our students build skills that will serve them well in their lives as professionals and as members of communities.
Faculty
Through research, teaching and collaborative projects, faculty and staff from across the campus play a key role in advancing civic engagement. The Office of Civic Engagement supports Rutgers–Camden faculty and staff in all aspects of civic engagement by conceiving courses, projects and programs; connecting with community partners; locating resources; and meeting logistical challenges.
Community Partners
The Office of Civic Engagement supports community-based collaborations on a variety of levels, from recruiting students in volunteerism, to providing long-term service internships, to engaging faculty in applying their expertise and experience to civic engagement. If you're a community member looking to partner with us, we want to hear from you.
Community Engagement Programs
Education
These initiatives provide a variety of educational services to K–12 students across southern New Jersey.
Economic Development
These initiatives help local individuals and small businesses with growth opportunities, management education and more.
Law and Public Policy
These initiatives address and aim to resolve real challenges that affect the lives of New Jersey citizens, including Camden youth.
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)
67 Penn Street
Camden, NJ 08102