Community Project

Mentored Community Engagement Experience
(Second Requirement)

The second requirement for the Graduate Certification in Community Engagement is the mentored community engagement experience. The mentored community engagement experience is an opportunity to collaborate with a community partner and a mentor on a project in a real-world, community setting. The goal is to implement engagement concepts introduced during the workshops and to gain practical experience collaborating with community partners.

Mentored community engagement experiences can be any form of community-engaged scholarship, including community-engaged research, creative activities, teaching and learning, service and practice, and/or commercialized activities.

In order for a potential experience to be approved for the Graduate Certification in Community Engagement requirement, it must:

• Be approved in advance by the program coordinator
• Meet MSU's definition of community-engaged scholarship (especially the scholarly dimensions)
• Involve community partners from beyond campus
• Be collaboratively undertaken with community partner(s) and a mentor
• Involve significant, direct interaction between you and your community partner
• Include reflection on communication, collaboration, and partnering skills with a mentor
• Include critical feedback from the community partner about your collaborative work together
• Be 60 hours at minimum

Students are expected to critically reflect on their experience with their community partners and mentors. This critical and constructive feedback may take different forms depending on the circumstances, and should be included in the written engagement portfolio.

Mentored Community Engagement Experience Guidelines