Timeline

2015

  • Talks underway for the Dream Team to become a part of CEC, to strengthen the overall immigration advocacy efforts of CEC.
  • W. K. Kellogg Foundation funds CEC staff.
  • McCune Foundation funds the TeacherCorps program.
  • NM Community Foundation funds the Tribal Service Corps program.

2014

  • CEC Director awarded the Faculty of Color All-round award by Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color.
  • Native American Studies and CEC develop a model for collaborating on the Tribal Service Corps program long term.
  • CEC in collaboration with Native American Studies welcome the first incoming class of Native American Community Academy students to UNM and CNM.
  • First formal UNMSC alumni gathering, with 50 participants.
  • Formal partnership with Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color for designing and implementing trainings/workshops.
  • CEC on the board of NM Asian Family Center.
  • CEC Affordable Care Act team of UNMSC and faculty recognized by Lieutenant Governor and APS Board for their education and outreach work in community.
  • CEC formally becomes member of Collaborative for Hispano/Latino Health Equity (CHLHE) at UNM.
  • NM Community Foundation funds the work of the Tribal Service Corps.
  • W. K. Kellogg Foundation funds CEC staff.
  • Student Fee Review Board funds UNMSC.
  • McCune Foundation funds the TeacherCorps program.

2013

  • CEC co-chairs UNM Provost's Diversity Council. The DC has two successes within a year. The first is to institute a diversity requirement for all graduates of UNM. Fall, 2014 freshman are the first class that this will apply to. Additionally, the instituting of a preferred criteria in faculty hiring to have a "demonstrated commitment to diversity."
  • CEC Affordable Care Act team of students, community organizations and faculty established to address the national issues of health care access. They provide education and outreach efforts across the city.
  • CEC represented on the RRED (Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the justice system) committee through La Plazita Institute.
  • Student Affairs departments including CEC form the Collective Impact data team to create a model to capture the impact of programs on student participants in student affairs. Formally recognized by Provost in 2014 and the model is now being seen as a potential campus wide model.
  • CEC on the Governance Council for Dorn Charter Community School.
  • CEC begins formal community based research initiated to assess the impact of the program on UNMSC.
  • CEC hosts the national IMPACT conference with over 500 participants from over 40 higher education institutions, learning and sharing their insights on community engagement.
  • CEC as part of UNM/NMSU team to design and implement the NM Leadership Institute (formally known as the Rosemont Institute). 25 high school students from across the state receive full scholarship to attend UNM or NMSU for four years. Scholarship based on leadership and commitment to New Mexico.
  • Leadership for Equity Institute established to formalize all academic components of CEC and align social justice framework to all components.
  • Partnership for Community Action in collaboration with CEC and SVEDC conduct first Academias de Concientización Social community learning spaces for 12 emerging leaders in the South Valley. Curriculum based on community organizing, leadership, civic engagement and power analysis.
  • NM Community Foundation funds Tribal Service Corps.
  • Student Fee Review Board funds CEC students.
  • W. K. Kellogg Foundation funds CEC staff.
  • McCune Foundation funds TeacherCorps program.

2012

  • CEC one of the founding members along with Native American Studies, Africana Studies, Chicano Studies, Sustainability Studies, Research Service Learning Program, Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, and Women's Studies of the committee to create the College for Social Transformation. A number of forums and gatherings held with community and students to move the initiative forward.
  • Youth for Education Forum held at UNM by CEC with over 150 participants. Report on the barriers and opportunities youth face in attaining higher education, formally shared. Findings based on formal focus groups with high school youth from across the city.
  • CEC co-chairs UNM Provost's Diversity Council.
  • CEC begins work on the development of a community engagement minor.
  • Anti-racism workshops for a number of partner sites, including but not limited to El Centro de La Raza, NM Asian Family Center, Youth Alliance, Public Allies, APS School Board, Encuentro, Families United for Education, etc...
  • W. K. Kellogg Foundation generously funds the CEC program staff and students.
  • Student Fee Review Board funds CEC students.
  • McCune Foundation funds the TeacherCorps program.

2011

  • CEC partners with South Broadway and Santa Barbara/Martinez Town leaders to collaborate on future funding strategies.
  • CEC invited as part of five-state collaborative on University Assisted Community Schools thought UPenn Netter Center regional hub site at OU-Tulsa.
  • Cohorts developed in health equity, educational equity and economic justice. With the Tribal Service Corps, Community Health Corps, Adult Bilingual Literacy, TeacherCorps, FoodCorps, Affordable Care Act Team, Community Schools, etc...
  • CEC continues collaboration across campus on the planning and implementation team of the Sarah Belle Brown Awards for community engagement.
  • A series of classes are offered by CEC focused on immigration, health equity, educational equity, anti-racist community based research, economic justice, community learning, and FoodCorps webinars, all from an anti-racism lens.
  • Student Fee Review Board funds CEC student leadership team.
  • W. K. Kellogg Foundation generously funds the CEC program staff and students.

2010

  • CLPS formal name change to UNM Community Engagement Center (CEC).
  • CEC initiates first cohort of TeacherCorps members. 15 teacher education students in collaboration with the College of Education receive two anti-racist critical pedagogy classes over a year, develop a community engagement/service-learning project at their school placement, are placed in high need community schools, and develop strong partnerships with community based organizations in the after school time.
  • First annual symposium for UNMSC and community partners to learn and share insights on community engagement from a social justice perspective.
  • FoodCorps NM program begins with CEC as host for the state. Full time AmeriCorps members working alongside local non-profits and schools to address issues of food justice and nutrition education.
  • CEC designs and implements Corps without Borders project. The immigration advocacy project takes a cohort of students from the UNMSC to the border to serve and learn from local non-profits and NMSU faculty member Neil Harvey.
  • Formal presentation at the National Association for Multicultural Education conference.
  • Student leaders (Bonners and Capacity Builders) start receiving Louie awards through Student Affairs for their community engagement.
  • W. K. Kellogg Foundation generously funds the CEC program staff and students.
  • Student Fee Review Board funds CEC student leadership team.

2009

  • Post-doc for CLPS conducts a series of focus groups with over 50 community, faculty, and students to ask, "what should a UNM community engagement center do and why?" The results share the direct of CEC from 2010 onwards.
  • CLPS invited to attend IHEP conference to strategize about campus-wide community engagement efforts with UNM leadership.
  • CLPS design and implements community engagement database to serve as a virtual hub for engagement activities by faculty, staff and students. Over 300 entries in the initial stage.
  • CLPS post-doc starts conducting formal anti-racism workshops in collaboration with other local trainers. All local trainers are trained by the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond from New Orleans. Local workshops coordinated by United South Broadway Corporation.
  • Post-doc on NM Voices for Children working group to develop document outlining racial inequities in education.

2008

  • CLPS requested by NM Secretary for Higher Education and NM Commission on Voluntarism and Community Service to submit a proposal to develop a Guidebook for establishing Service Corps at other NM universities and colleges.
  • CLPS invited to attend, with six other colleges and universities, a planning and implementation session at the New York-based New World Foundation for a new COIN Initiative that encourages civic engagement in community-based organizations (CBOs).
  • Tribal Service Corps travel to Chiapas to learn from the Universidad de la Tierra and bring back lessons learned to their tribal communities.
  • CLPS helps El Centro de La Raza at UNM develop their first Intern program, including designing and implementing the first class taught to the interns.
  • CLPS provides Advocates for Equity an anti-racism workshop, which gave the collaborative a common lens. Advocates for Equity Ultimately becoming Families United for Education.
  • CLPS post-doc works with Tufts University CIRCLE project to include UNM in the nationwide study to assess college student political engagement.

2007

  • UNM CLPS awarded major three year funding from NM Community Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies to launch middle schools after school program at Wilson, Grant and Native American Academy.
  • CLPS celebrates its 10th Anniversary with visit from and address by Dr. Ira Harkavy, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of the nationally recognized Nutter Center for Community-University Partnerships.
  • CLPS invited to present at International Conference on Community-University Partnership on “When Universities Listen …” at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Canada (one of two American projects invited to present).
  • Expansion occurs to more than 30 community based sites and deeper partnerships built with University College’s Research Service Learning and El Centro La Raza programming office.
  • New Mexico Commission on Voluntarism and Community Service awards CLPS $25,000 contract to study impact of AmeriCorps at sites, including NACA.
  • Carnegie Foundation invites CLPS and UNM Service Corps to attend special 10-campus summit on campus based civic engagement at Miami University (Ohio).

2006

  • New sites identified with more social justice and grassroots community orientations in South Valley and other areas of the city/county.
  • Discussion begun with the New Mexico Community Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies to plan and fund new experiments in middle school after school programming.
  • CLPS invited to facilitate UNM’s membership into the Princeton University-led Community Based Research Network, in conjunction with the Bonner Foundation.
  • Dr. Kiran Katira named Post-Doctoral Fellow in Educational Leadership and CLPS, to both teach community oriented coursework and continue to lead the UNM Service Corps.
  • Native America Community Academy pilot project site for Tribal Service Corps launched.
  • Work Study sites begin to become self-identified with technical assistance from CLPS to secure their own positions.
  • CLPS Director invited to attend as one of six expert US witnesses on civic engagement to the Council of Europe and International Consortia on Universities and Democracy special meeting at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.

2005

  • First phase of community planning and strategic plan completed for forming a Tribal Service Corps.
  • New director of UNM Service Corps selected to provide more fulltime leadership for the corps.
  • Curriculum offerings planned with College of Education and several other academic units
  • CLPS Director named as chair of University-wide committee on Public Service and Community Engagement, to broaden and better coordinate UNM’s civic engagement programs.
  • Bonner Foundation names UNM Service Corps first southwestern university member of its service-learning consortia and a major pilot project site for the Bonner Leader program.

2004

  • Partnership formed with Albuquerque Technical and Vocational Institute (TVI), the largest local community college, to create a 15-person work-study pilot project for students to work on literacy education at the neighborhood levels.
  • New sites developed between after school projects and community arts – team of corps members bridge arts workshops and activities into the various sites.
  • Corps members serve 5,000 individual students during the academic year and summer.
  • Legislation and funding earmarked to create a statewide web site on Civic Engagement and Service Learning with New Mexico State University’s Distance Learning unit – emphasizes student community service projects, civic stories, and resources to expand community service across New Mexico.
  • Daniels Fund awards grant to UNM Foundation to support UNM Service Corps and allow for the first fulltime director to be hired.

2003

  • Through CLPS leadership, state passes memorial (resolution) to study youth development oriented funding, campaign led by high school students in New Mexico Civic Engagement Initiative. Federal pass through funds through Public Department of Education secured for after school programming through the 21st Century Learning Centers with grant to expand to four additional sites (now 8-9 federal supported sites operating at scale).
  • CLPS organizes and forms statewide Out of School Time Network for youth groups working with young people in after school and youth related projects – project secures major funding from Mott Foundation and is spun off to the New Mexico Forum for Youth in Community (statewide youth development intermediary).
  • With homeless student population and after school sites, UNM Service Corps serves nearly 4,000 young people in 2003.
  • Two small Challenge grants secured from the Corporation for National and Community Service to promote civic engagement in the state and also disseminate information to the universities about Campus Compact, including sharing the model for developing campus based service corps with other colleges and universities.

2002

  • Pew Memorial Charitable Trusts awards Community Learning & Public Service one of eight national pilot project grants to create a New Mexico Civic Engagement Initiative for high school and college students to become more involved in community service.
  • Civic engagement projects started at 24 high schools across the state – on the border, in rural villages, at charter school, comprehensive public high schools, and on five tribal reservations with UNM Service Corps acting as support staff.
  • Legislative briefing held for teachers, youth and community allies to educate people on current youth policy proposals and to better understand the state legislative process.
  • Service Corps expands programs into Southeast Heights – areas known as War Zone by the local media due to high crime and youth violence.
  • Corporation for National and Community Service and Harvard University Center for Family and Community Support both recognize UNM Service Corps and community schools projects as model projects.

2001

  • City of Albuquerque slashes its youth budget by 2 million dollars – UNM Service Corps loses $400,000 in annual support for corps stipends and personnel at community sites.
  • United States Department of Education awards Albuquerque Public Schools and UNM Community Learning & Public Service the largest 21st Century Learning Center grant in state at nearly 1.2 million dollars over three years (2001-2004).
  • New Albuquerque Community Schools Project (ACSP) provides scale support for seven current after school sites (CLPS still serving 12 neighborhoods and homeless youth).
  • AmeriCorps award expanded to include 92 part-time AmeriCorps members, including tribal service component.
  • Homeless program becomes biggest single population the UNM Service Corps serves with nearly 3,000 students involved in a year.
  • Daniels Fund supports general operation and program development for UNM Service Corps with first of three years of funding.

2000

  • City of Albuquerque Division of Family and Community services continues to budget for 55 corps members, states that corps present in community centers has changed quality of programming for youth.
  • Policy Center leads statewide coalition to secure permanent fund for youth development support at state level – the Next Generation Fund.
  • Experience with youth as legislative advocates leads CLPS to plan for a statewide civic engagement project targeted at high school and college students.
  • UNM Service Corps recognized by several New Mexico funders (especially the Daniels Fund and McCune Charitable Trusts) as exemplary state youth development project
  • Policy Center morphs into new office to host community projects and youth programs – named Community Learning & Public Service (CLPS). Research studies and evaluations indicate student participants in Corps led projects come to school better prepared, with their homework completed, at higher attendance rates, and perform better on standardized tests.

1999

  • City of Albuquerque commits to funding 55 part-time UNM Service Corps members with nearly $500,000 per year in funding support for member stipends.
  • UNM Service Corps opens learning centers in twelve community centers, art workshops, schools, and neighborhood storefronts and libraries. Reaches nearly 1800 young people first summer in expanded operation.
  • Identified homeless youth living on the streets reaches almost 2,000 in city and so school district and UNM Service Corps create special project to respond.
  • Corps moves from 50% students of color to nearly 90% at request of neighborhood leaders and community partners to see UNM Service Corps become representative of the residents in the communities served.
  • CLPS and UNM Service Corps convene with the Historic Neighborhood Alliance a National Summit on Urban Youth Programming with representatives and experts attending from 17 cities.

1998

  • City of Albuquerque Middle Schools Initiative funds first summer programs and urges Policy Center to consider expanding to more community sites, especially community centers in poor neighborhoods.
  • Corporation for National and Community Service awards UNM first collegiate national direct AmeriCorps Education award grant in New Mexico – 80 corps members have these first appointments.
  • Plans made to expand to 10-12 more neighborhood learning sites, all largely staffed with part-time college students serving as AmeriCorps members. Program solidifies its base as a community oriented after school youth development project operating in poor or marginalized neighborhoods

1997

  • Policy Center launches UNM Service Corps and Albuquerque Community Schools Project with Save the Children/USA pilot project funds in two neighborhoods marked by on-going youth violence.
  • After school projects are designed and implemented with less than fifty student participants. Ten university students from seven academic majors form the nucleus of first UNM Service Corps to coordinate after school programs.
  • Due to significant first generation enrollment at UNM, university opts to pay students a “living wage” stipend for serving in the UNM Service Corps (paid community service model started with foundation, city and financial assistance monies).
  • Initial programs offer save place for children, caring and consistent adults, and enrichment activities oriented toward learning and literacy modeled after Americas Promise guidelines

1996

  • Levi Strauss Foundation funds yearlong Institute for Educational and Community Leadership (IECL) to focus on educational reform, community involvement, youth programming and intercultural relations.
  • After school projects oriented towards literacy and local leadership development emerge out of a design phase led by first cohort of a yearlong Institute for Community and Educational Leadership (IECL) participants.
  • Policy Center forms partnership with University of Pennsylvania Center for Community Partnership to replicate university-assisted community schools model in New Mexico.

1995

  • Technical assistance provided by the Policy Center to Siete del Norte Community Development Corporation to secure federal funds for the first AmeriCorps grant awarded in the state of New Mexico, serving ten (10) communities across seven northern counties.
  • Policy Center staff coordinates all field site placements in community mentoring and problem solving for Siete del Norte in northern counties.
  • Vice President for Student Affairs requests Policy Center lead efforts to expand service-learning options across the entire UNM campus.

1994

  • Policy Center in the College of Education coordinates National Service Learning Conference meeting in Albuquerque, a gathering of 1500 service-learning advocates and practitioners from all fifty states and 6 countries.
  • Discussions begin between University, City of Albuquerque and local neighborhoods about the need and purpose of service-learning programs centered on youth development