About Us
Partners for Campus-Community Engagement is changing paradigms. We work to level the playing field within campus community dynamics by including community partners as equal members. We are the only higher ed organization in the region that serves all institution types – two-year, four-year, public, and independent – and includes community partners in our membership and governance.
Our Mission
Partners for Campus-Community Engagement (PCCE) convenes, connects, and empowers campuses to build equitable and just relationships with communities in order to advance a democratic society for the public good.
Our Vision
We envision that every campus-community partnership builds authentic, equitable, and democratic collaborations for the benefit of all.
OUR VALUES are a commitment to our partners. We share them to communicate what is vital to us and invite partners to hold us accountable if we are inconsistent with our commitment. Our statements reflect both our core and aspirational values.
Collaboration
We believe in the value of working and achieving together what may not be possible alone. We aspire to bring a collaborative spirit and strategy in all we do, learning from the wisdom of others and sharing reciprocally what we are learning.
Service
We believe in the power of participatory democracy to
enhance the capacity of all of our constituents to be thoughtful and engaged citizens. We inspire commitment among our partners
to pursue their mission for the
public good.
Equity
We believe that equity-centered community engagement is essential to a healthy,
functioning democracy. We believe that democracy calls for every citizen to possess the knowledge, ability, and critical thinking skills that higher education is well-equipped to cultivate. We commit to embrace diversity, inclusion, and equity as we engage with our members and model reconciliation.
Transformation
We believe that fostering
sustainable change for people, organizations, and the climate is at the core of what we do. We seek to deepen learning, enrich
intellectual humility, and catalyze civic innovation.
Leadership
We believe that relationships are the heart and soul of our work. We draw on empathy to understand each unique organizational setting. We interpret trends, gather resources, and
identify and promote best practices to support and activate civic leadership. We cultivate partner leaders to convene groups, initiate research, and mentor colleagues.
Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion Statement
PCCE is committed to affirming the worth and dignity of everyone. We acknowledge the tremendous human diversity that exists within the world and seek to wholly include people from diverse backgrounds. PCCE commits to creating a welcoming, equitable, inclusive, and celebratory environment for all. PCCE welcomes members from diverse races, ethnicities, religions, native languages, geographic locations, cultures, sexes, gender identities, sexual orientations, physical and mental abilities, incomes, social classes, marital statuses, ages, and veteran statuses. Discrimination or harassment based on any of these identities will not be tolerated. PCCE believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion are part of an active process that requires continual commitment.
Living Land
Acknowledgement
PCCE acknowledges the original stewards and caretakers of the land our offices occupy, being the Susquehannock, and the Cayuga Nation. We pay our respects to their elders past and present. Let us reflect on the legacy of violence, displacement, migration, and settlement that all US institutions have perpetrated on indigenous peoples. May we walk together on this Earth to foster a sense of unity, peace, and stewardship of the land we exist on. PCCE commits to raising awareness of this history to our campus and community partners to promote a space that cultivates equity, community, continued action, and reconciliation.
The Susquehannock
PCCE offices are located on the ancestral lands of the Susquehannock People, who are the original stewards and caretakers of this land. The Susquehannock Peoples, later re-connected as the Conestoga after a period of war, are a community of traders, artisans, and farmers.
The Cayuga
A PCCE office is located on the ancestral lands of the Cayuga People, who are the original stewards and caretakers of this land. The Cayuga Nation, or the People of the Great Swamp, are a member of the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy and reside throughout New York and Canada.
Susquehanna River, Halifax, PA
Photo by Danelle Wagner
Our Strategic
Priorities and Goals
Strategic Priorities
1. Center diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in our work with campus & community leadership
2. Deepen community-engaged faculty development on campuses to emphasize enduring, sustainable partnerships
3. Build capacity of campus-community partnerships to address co-identified priorities
4. Amplify college student access and success through community engagement
Strategic Goals
I. Developing Capacity of PCCE Partners
1. Cultivate partner engagement to catalyze and lead for the public good
2. Convene campus-community partners for professional and skill development opportunities
3. Create venues for disseminating exemplary practices in campus-community partnerships (CCP)
4. Leverage, advocate, and educate at the national, state, and local levels for issues related to civic and community engagement
II. Cultivating Leadership in Campus-Community Engagement Field
1. Center diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in campus & community leadership
2. Build capacity of member campuses to address co-identified priorities with community partners
3. Deepen community-engaged faculty development on campuses
4. Amplify college student access and success through community engagement
III. Enhancing Organizational Capacity of PCCE
1. Identify and develop sustainable funding strategy for PCCE that fulfills its mission
2. Cultivate PCCE Board engagement
3. Provide professional development opportunities for PCCE staff