New doors are opening—literally and figuratively—as the College of Liberal Arts’ Office of Community Engagement officially debuts in a new physical space in Mazur Hall. 

CLA’s Office of Community Engagement was created in 2020, originating from a need to provide structured support for engagement in community partnerships to both CLA faculty and students. Since its opening, it has launched the Community Scholars Program, established the College of Liberal Arts Translation Institute and supported community-engaged learning courses. 

Now, operating from a brick-and-mortar location will enable the Office of Community Engagement to provide participants and stakeholders with expanded opportunities for collaboration and connection. 

“The opening of the College of Liberal Arts’ Office of Community Engagement in Mazur Hall is an integral part of a commitment across the university to creating a culture of volunteerism and service within the Temple community and strengthening connections between students, faculty, staff and our North Philadelphia neighbors,” said Valerie Harrison, Temple’s vice president for community impact and civic engagement.  

The grand opening was celebrated during an event inside the College of Liberal Arts’ new conference space on Sept. 25 and featured a welcome and acknowledgment from Hiram Aldarondo, senior associate dean of academic affairs; opening remarks from Richard Deeg, dean of the College of Liberal Arts; and a panel discussion moderated by Heather Lewis-Weber, director of community engagement at the College of Liberal Arts.   

“It’s our privilege to work with the greater Philadelphia community, to use our resources that we have to make for a better society and a better community,” said Deeg during his opening remarks. The opening represents a milestone in CLA’s commitment to building partnerships with the North Philadelphia community through leadership mentoring, community services, academic programs, volunteer internships and other resources.  
 
“In just five years, CLA’s Office of Community Engagement has become a center of innovation and collaboration,” said Aldarondo during his welcome and acknowledgment. 

A panel of academic and community leaders—including LeShan Wilkinson, CLA ’23, business service consultant at the National Center for Urban Solutions; Aunshul Rege, professor of criminal justice; and Christina Hasaan, CLA ’22, coordinator of the District Attorney’s Office’s DATA CoLAb—reflected on the importance of university-community partnership and the responsibility of institutions such as Temple to foster it.  

Rege shared her experiences with civic involvement doing cybersecurity outreach with youth as director of Temple’s Cybersecurity in Application, Research and Education (CARE) Lab.   

“We sit and we listen and we ask the community members, ‘Was this useful? What would you have liked to see?’” said Rege. “What was really amazing was that in those conversations we got to create safe spaces, judgment-free spaces, and it became such a beautiful, magical moment.” 

The opening of the designated space for applied community work coincides with the addition of the University Community Collaborate (UCC) to the Office of Community Engagement’s portfolio. Founded nearly 30 years ago by Professor of Political Science Barbara Ferman, the UCC offers after-school programs that provide leadership opportunities for local high school students, as well as opportunities for undergraduate students to become mentors. Its inclusion in the Office of Community Engagement will enable the program to foster more in-person connections and to more easily collaborate with other organizations.

CLA’s Office of Community Engagement is now home to the following initiatives. 

• Community Scholar Program—The Community Scholars Program is a paid program that equips CLA students with tools for effective engagement. The 10-week program invites students to gain a deeper understanding of North Philadelphia communities through work with local organizations, research on social justice issues and connections with peers.  
• CLA Translation Institute—The CLA Translation Institute provides free translation and interpretation services to local organizations. Its mission is to expand access to resources for Philadelphians with limited English proficiency, provide CLA students with professional development opportunities in translation and interpretation, and to enable local organizations to better serve their communities.
• University Community Collaborative—UCC’s three after-school programs prepare young adults to become effective leaders. POPPYN trains youth in media production skills, enabling them to produce short films and journalistic segments about issues that touch their lives. POWER provides exposure to nonprofit work environments for high school juniors and seniors, culminating in the production of a film that is publicly screened and discussed. VOICES builds collective and youth power though project-based projects tied to community issues, emphasizing teamwork and cooperation.
• Community-engaged learning and community-based volunteer opportunities—The Office of Community Engagement supports volunteer opportunities for students and partners with academic departments in CLA to provide courses that collaborate with community organizations. 

 
Lewis-Weber is already seeing a difference in participation since the opening of the new space.

“Since we’ve added this new office space, students and faculty are stopping in and asking about community engagement and we’re able to connect them with all the different opportunities we have,” said Lewis-Weber. “This new space makes it easier to get people involved.”