The move reflects the center鈥檚 focus on connections with community partners.
The Rochester Center for Community Leadership at the is changing its name to the Center for Community Engagement, effective November 16. The new name more accurately describes the focus of the center, which is housed in the College鈥檚 Office of the Dean of Students in Lattimore Hall.
The center, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, connects community partners with students, faculty, and other members of the University community to work together on initiatives that address social challenges in the city and region.
鈥淭he new name reflects the center鈥檚 evolution over the past 15 years from a grand vision to a complex operation with a wide array of initiatives,鈥� says center director and assistant dean Glenn Cerosaletti 鈥�91, 鈥�03 (MA). 鈥淪o many have contributed to that growth, from the center鈥檚 founder, (former dean of students) Jody Asbury, to current and former staff, students, alumni, donors, faculty, and community partners.鈥�
Since 2013, the center has been instrumental in the development of the College鈥檚 community-engaged learning initiative and administers the certificate of achievement in community-engaged learning. In addition, the center manages a portfolio of聽programs that create a pipeline of community-engagement opportunities that spans from when undergraduate students first arrive at the University until after they graduate.聽These programs include Wilson Days of Engagement, Rochester Youth Year, Urban Fellows, and the Learning and Exploring at Play (LEAP) program that connects students from the College with elementary school students in the Rochester City School District.
In 2018鈥�19, Cerosaletti聽cochaired the work group that compiled the University鈥檚 successful application for the Carnegie Foundation鈥檚 elective classification in community engagement. The application was a self-study that inventoried community engagement efforts across the University with reference to best practices in the field of community engagement in post-secondary education.
