Metropolitan State University's Center for Community-Based Learning provides support for efforts, across the university, to integrate community-based learning and civic engagement with academic reflection through internships and courses which provide a meaningful experience for the participating community, organization or business and the student.
The Center for Community-Based Learning strives to assist and support Metropolitan State students, faculty and staff in being responsible citizens and partners in the community. The Center provides quality individual internships, group internships, applied research projects, service-learning activities, courses with field components, and community partnerships which address mutually defined interests and build on the capacity of the community.
Engaged Campus:
Metropolitan State University has long prided itself on being a community-based institution of higher education. In recent years, the university has developed a regional and national reputation for its community partnerships'programs organized through departments or through the Center for Community-Based Learning, that connect faculty, staff, students, and alumni to community-based organizations and agencies.
The mission and vision statements for the university clearly indicate the value and importance Metropolitan State places on civic engagement through service and community-based learning. The mission statement includes: The University is committed to academic excellence and community partnerships through curriculum, teaching, scholarship, and services designed to support an urban mission. And the vision for the university states: The faculty, staff, and students of Metropolitan State will reflect the area's rich diversity and will demonstrate an unwavering commitment to civic engagement.
University leadership understands that community engagement is central to Metropolitan State's urban mission, supports faculty involvement through tenure and promotion, and provides strong financial support to the Center for Community-Based Learning which is the largest and most active unit of its kind within the MnSCU system.
It is widely known that Metropolitan State University was founded on principles of connecting higher education with communities. We are known as a leader in the field; many of our programs (see Project SHINE and The American Democracy Project) and approaches are considered national models by our peers. We strive to continue and deepen this tradition.