Mission and Philosophy

Building on the Irvin D. Reid Honors College mission of promoting informed, engaged citizenship, Community Engagement provides faculty with the tools necessary to strengthen their course content; students with the opportunity to give back and apply classroom theories in a hands-on way; and community organizations with the chance to receive assistance from some of Wayne State's most dedicated citizens.

To get the most out of their education, students need both academic courses and real-world experiences. Community Engagement provides the mechanism to strengthen classes and implement service-learning opportunities in our vibrant metropolitan Detroit community.

Faculty expertise, community partner involvement and meaningful first-hand experiences provide students with multiple and meaningful contexts for learning.

Goals
Community Engagement strives to realize its mission by working toward the following goals:

  1. Prepare students for productive lives in a diverse urban and global environment by involving students in community-based education and civic engagement. Community Engagement builds on the Honors College mission to promote informed engaged citizenship.
  2. Facilitate faculty integration of research, teaching and service in ways that meet community needs and promote educational goals.
  3. Develop mutually beneficial partnerships between the university and the community to improve the social, economic and cultural climate of southeastern Michigan.
  4. Build national pre-eminence in community-based education and research through commitments to the Metropolitan Detroit community.