The Community Engagement Professional Foundations (CEPF) Certificate Program is designed to reinforce the University’s core value of community service through a series of six introductory-level workshops open to all faculty and staff. Workshops address the purpose and primary activities of an organization’s community engagement function both in support of the University’s mission, and on behalf of individual professional development. Core courses are designed to include a mix of instructional and discussion-based exploration, allowing participants to adapt content to their unique identities, positions, and relationships. Participants will leave these workshops with increased knowledge of the competencies required to carry out this function in an organizational setting.
The Program requires completion of three required core workshops and three elective workshops. All workshops required to complete the CEPF Certificate Program are offered on a rotating basis each fall and spring through the Faculty and Staff Development Program (FSDP). Participants can take these workshops in any order. Participants are expected to track their own programs and use the online CEPF Completion Form to report completion of required courses.
The Community Engagement Professional Foundations Certificate Program consists of the following workshops:
Three required core workshops
- Community Engagement Fundamentals
- Community Partnerships
- Equity and Inclusion Considerations for Engaged Scholars and Practitioners
Choose three elective workshops (elective workshops can be found on the FSDP website)
Diversity & Inclusion
- Microaggression: Recognizing and Challenging a Subtle Form of Bias
- Identity, Power, and Privilege
- Global Competence
- Intercultural Competency
Sustainability
- Pitt Blue & Gold = Green
- Sustainability: Building an Equitable Future
- Sustainability Foundations: Balancing the Three E’s
- Sustainable Community Development
Workplace Knowledge
- Effective Interpersonal Communication
- Public Speaking in a Nutshell
- Problem Solving Skills for the Workplace
Community Engagement Fundamentals
Presenter: Keith Caldwell, Executive Director of Place Based Initiatives
Justin Dandoy, Director, Community Affairs
Office of Engagement & Community Affairs
Date: Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Time: 2-4 p.m.
Location: 342 Craig Hall, in-person
Note: remote access provided for those who cannot make it to campus
Who Should Attend: All faculty and staff
This workshop is designed to provide a foundation for community engaged work by establishing a working definition of community engagement and setting guiding principles for ethical and effective community engagement. Instructors will guide the conversation around the various modes of public service, civic engagement, and community engagement as well as the importance of equity and inclusion within this work.
Community Partnerships
Presenter: Keith Caldwell, Executive Director of Place Based Initiatives
Jamie Ducar, Executive Director, The Engaged Campus
Office of Engagement & Community Affairs
Date: Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Time: 10 a.m.-noon
Location: 342 Craig Hall, in-person
Note: remote access provided for those who cannot make it to campus
Who Should Attend: All faculty and staff
In this course, participants will be asked to reflect on their relationship with a community in which they might seek to partner, with particular focus on articulating the similarities and differences between themselves and the community and how these factors may shape the dynamics of collaboration. Facilitators will provide participants with the tools to engage in an asset-based approach to partnership development within the context of equity frameworks.
Equity and Inclusion Considerations for Engaged Scholars and Practitioners
Presenter: Jamie Ducar, Executive Director, The Engaged Campus
Branden Ballard, Associate Director, Training and Programs
Office of Engagement & Community Affairs
Date: Thursday, December 7, 2023
Time: 10 a.m.-noon
Location: 342 Craig Hall, in-person
Note: remote access provided for those who cannot make it to campus
Who Should Attend: All faculty and staff
This workshop will ask participants to evaluate one of the important pieces of effective community engagement…themselves. Facilitators will walk participants through reflection activities to understand one’s experiences, through an intersectional lens, and how they relate to power and privilege, explicit and implicit biases, and how these factor into the ability to perform community engaged work.