The Institute for Civic Engagement is in SUNY Cortland’s Division of Academic Affairs. It serves as a resource for students, faculty, staff, and community partners by promoting the development of mutually-beneficial learning by doing opportunities.
- Classroom visits with activities to
- Recognize the academic, professional, and personal benefits of volunteering
- Explain benefits of taking applied learning (learning by doing) academic courses
- Practice active listening skills as a way of improving communication effectiveness
- Campus/community events that explore current issues. Many of these events help participants practice civil civic decision-making skills.
- Opportunities for students to design and conduct their own civic engagement projects through the Institute’s Action Team of self-directed interns. These internships represent another form of applied learning.
- Voter-related activities through CIVIC: Cortland Invests in Voting Initiative Committee. CIVIC’s members include students, faculty, staff, and community members who conduct activities for voter
- Registration
- Education
- Mobilization (get-out-the-vote)
- Professional development activities for faculty and staff through the Institute’s Cortland Applied Learning Practitioners program for faculty and staff. These activities help faculty design and conduct applied learning courses
- Publication in The SUNY Journal of the Scholarship of Engagement.
- Celebration of people’s civic engagement activities, on- and off-campus, through our
- Monthly newsletter
- Annual Leadership in Civic Engagement Awards Reception (April)
Through these opportunities, the Institute helps students develop the skills and knowledge to become "engaged citizens with a strong social conscience."