Overview
Empowering knowledge to serve the community.
The Office of Community Engagement (OCE) is dedicated to the collaboration and creation of community partnerships to positively impact the region. OCE serves as the centralized coordinating structure to enhance communication, connect organizations with the appropriate campus resources to advance collaboration requests, and collect all of the community-based experiences from students, faculty, and staff. Additionally, the OCE works with organizations to secure external funds to support meeting community needs and the people they serve.
Assistance to Community Partners
The YSU Office of Community Engagement values its partnerships between community organizations and YSU students, faculty, and staff.
To support Youngstown State University’s mission and core values, goals of the Office of Community Engagement include:
- Working with community partners to identify needs in the community and strategies for addressing such needs
- Tracking the community impact of our students, faculty and staff via YSU PenguinPulse, our community engagement platform
- Incorporating community engagement and experiential learning into the YSU curriculum
- Connecting students with community partners to promote mutual benefit.
Community-engaged Learning Courses
The characteristics of a CE course include engagement, reciprocity, reflection, and public dissemination. Engagement addresses a public good through a collaboration between faculty and community partners, students' service has community impact, and the academic content aligns with the community engagement learning experience. Generally, the engagement constitutes at least 20 hours. Reflection is the mechanism for students to link their service to course content. Systematic and consistent reflection about the experience supports student learning. Reciprocity involves the community partner in the role as a co-educator with the faculty to promote mutual benefit for the student, organization, and community. Public dissemination occurs when the engagement is presented to the partner/public and promotes public dialogue and a continuous feedback loop.
Community-engaged learning may take place in general education, discipline or problem-based courses, capstone, internships, independent studies, as well as community-based action research. Courses with the "CE" are officially designated as community-engaged learning courses which meet all of the criteria. Students may also receive CE credit through a contract honors option. The benefits for students, who take advantage of these experiential learning opportunities with our community partners, are many.
Community-engaged Learning Courses Approved for CE Designation.
ART 3748C CE Special Topics Studio Art 3 s.h.
Study in one of the many areas of the visual process that focuses on specific content or technical methods.
Prereq.: ART 1503 or consent of instructor.
BUS 3720C CE Nonprofit Leadership 3 s.h.
The roles of nonprofit organizations in meeting human needs through philanthropy and focus on mission. Understanding of board development, fundraising, management, programming, and careers in nonprofit organizations.
Prereq.: ENGL 1551, junior standing, 2.5 GPA.
BUS 3740C CE Nonprofit Community Service 1 s.h.
Interactive environment where students complete projects with nonprofit organizations. Students participate in site visits, professional development events, a regional case study exercise, and planning fundraising, recruitment, and community service events.
5 GPA.
BUS 4840C CE Nonprofit Leadership Intern 3 s.h.
Students work in a nonprofit organization for 225 hours to achieve goals agreed upon by the student and organization.
Prereq.: junior standing; 2.5 GPA, special approval required of Director - Center for Nonprofit Leadership.
Coreq.: BUS 4841.
BUS 4841C CE Nonprofit Leadership Seminar 1 s.h.
Open to all students with an internship in a nonprofit organization. The course must be taken in conjunction with the internship required of the Nonprofit Leadership Minor.
Prereq.: junior standing, 2.5 GPA, special approval required of Director - Center for Nonprofit Leadership.
Coreq.: BUS 4840.
CMST 3754C CE Argumentation and Advocacy 3 s.h.
Developing critical thinking through systematic evaluation of critical thinking theories, principles, and practices of argumentation. This course will discuss critical thinking occurring in reading, writing, listening, and spoken discourse.
Prereq.: CMST 1545.
CRJS 4807C CE Criminal Justice Internship 3-12 s.h.
Field experiences in an appropriate criminal justice agency under the direction of qualified and experienced professionals. Grading is CR/NC. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 semester hours.
Prereq.: Junior standing or higher and permission of the Chair; CRJS 2601 or CRJS 2602 or CRJS 2603.
HIST 3748C CE History of Ohio. 3 s.h.
The important events and movements that have shaped Ohio history in the social, economic, religious and political areas.
HIST 3774C CE Global Environmental History: Topics and Methods 3 s.h.
The historical development and diversity of ideas and actions regarding the interaction of human societies and the natural environment. From 1492 to the present, with particular emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Economic growth and resource depletion. Emergence and development of conservation, environmentalism, ecology. Ideas, events, and institutions. Historiography and methods of environmental history.
HIST 6940C CE Oral History 3 s.h.
Instruction in methods of taking, processing, and utilizing oral depositions relating to history. The course includes assignments in the field. May be repeated once.
HONR 2601C CE Honors Seminar 1-2 s.h.
An interdisciplinary seminar series dealing with topics appropriate to students in the Honors Program. The subjects include, but are not limited to, creativity, the organization and function of the university, the total human being, critical thinking, current events, etc.
Prereq.: Eligibility for the Honors Program.
MGT 4844C CE Strategic Human Resource Management 3 s.h.
Capstone course of the human resource (HR) major and should be taken in students' last semester. Purpose is to integrate knowledge within HR and across disciplines in developing and implementing HR strategy. Special focus will be given to developing the proficiencies necessary to serve as an HR consultant, especially in quantifying the impact of HR practices.
Prereq.: 2.5 GPA, OR special approval.
Prereq. or Coreq.: MGT 4810.
MPH 6905C CE Health Services Administration in Public Health 3 s.h.
Management principles, including personnel administration, budgeting, financing, and continuous quality improvement as pertains to public health. Planning and evaluation principles, grant writing, public health economics, public health policy, and data sources.
Prereq.: Graduate standing, permission of course director required for non-MPH students.
MUED 5841C CE Music Workshop 1-3 s.h.
For students and teachers in service; topics may vary from year to year. Specific topics are announced each time the workshop is offered. May be repeated with different topic.
MUEN 0004C CE University Chorus 1 s.h.
An entry-level ensemble designed for music majors and non-music students alike. Students are placed within the ensemble after an informal hearing with the conductor. Each singer must be devoted to producing their highest quality of performance through both individual study, and group rehearsals, of the music being prepared. Study, rehearsals (tutti, individual, and sectional), memorization and performances in public comprise the course of study.
NURS 3710C CE Nursing in the Community 5 s.h.
Nursing in the community including families in health and illness needs; culturally competent health care; teaching and learning aspects; psychosocial concepts, spirituality, and home health concepts and skills. To be taken concurrently with NURS 3710L.
Prereq.: NURS 2645/L.
NURS 4832C CE Nursing Care of Children and Families 5 s.h.
Family-centered nursing concentrating on health promotion/illness and prevention and acute/chronic health care needs of the developing child and family. Three hours lecture and six hours clinical experience in a variety of settings per week.
Prereq.: NURS 3741/L.
Coreq.: 4832L.
NURS 4842C CE Mental Health Nursing 5 s.h.
This course provides mental health theories and strategies as the foundation in the management of individuals, families, and groups experiencing acute and chronic mental illness. Emphasis on the promotion of optimal level functioning and mental wellness. Three hours lecture, six hours clinical experience in a variety of settings per week.
Prereq.: NURS 3743/3743L; Entry-level BSN senior status.
PHYT 8923C CE Community Applications 3 s.h.
Community-based project that encompasses the aspects of advocacy, collaboration, social responsibility, consultation and leadership, marketing/PR, and fiscal management.
NURS 4853C CE Nursing Transitions 4 s.h.
Analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of care delivered by the healthcare team with emphasis on development of leadership and research roles. Two hours lecture and eight hours clinical experience with a preceptor in a variety of settings per week.
Prereq.: NURS 3743, NURS 3743L.
Coreq.: NURS 4840, NURS 4840L, or NURS 4842, NURS 4842L.
Contracting a Course for Community-engaged Learning Designation
Courses other than those which are approved as a community-engaged learning (NURS 3710C) or remedial may be considered for community-engaged learning experiences on a limited basis. The faculty assigned to the course and community partner, who serve as co-educators, work collaboratively to design the additional learning experience that meets the need of the community partner. Once the proposal is designed, the student/faculty submit to the Associate Provost for Strategy & Engagement for approval.
The contract CE option does not involve more credit hours for a course, but rather credit of a different kind. Proposals should include how the student will engage, reflect, reciprocate, and disseminate publicly. Proposals must be fully developed and approved prior to students engaging in the project. Applications are available on the Office of Community Engagement website.
Completion status is reported by faculty via a completion form. A notation will be placed on the student transcript to indicate community-engaged learning completed for the course.
Community Engagement Reporting
YSU PenguinPulse is the university platform for tracking all forms of community engagement and connecting individuals with opportunities within the community. This includes engagement through courses, as well as outside-of-the-classroom experiences. Through YSU Penguin Pulse, students can:
- Identify and inspire opportunities to engage with community partners from around the globe that support student academic, career, research, and personal learning
- Track and reflect on their impact and development from engagement
- Create an experiential accounting of all community engagement efforts valuable for curating personal statements, resumes, and interview preparation