Criterion 1: Mission
Core Component 1.C reads, “The institution provides opportunities for civic engagement in a diverse, multicultural society and globally connected world, as appropriate within its mission and for the constituencies it serves.”
As part of this criterion, institutions must provide evidence showing criteria for accreditation are being met (https://download.hlcommission.org/ProvidingEvidence2020_INF.pdf).
Civic Engagement Definitions/Examples:
Civic Engagement in this context is defined as activities where our students, faculty, or staff are providing a service to the non-campus community or Vincennes University (VU) is sponsoring civic engagement activities for either the campus community or the non-campus community. There are several types, which are loosely described by the following three (3) categories:
- Academic Requirement: These are principally placements in off-campus environments such as internships with a businesses or industry, student teaching, clinical placements, etc. These formal academic experiences are typically evaluated, and the evaluations regarding the impact on the community can be obtained.
- Co-curricular Experiences: These are generally University organized and sanctioned events that involved students working within the community. These might be organized by programs, such as Housing or Multi-Cultural Affairs, or organized by students, such as student clubs. Examples might be the Pet Port Food Drive, a community clean-up, or a blood drive. These may or may not be assessed.
- Other Civic Engagement Experiences: These are University sponsored experiences that engage University personnel, and possibly students, with either the campus or non-campus community such as University diversity and inclusion activities, a speaker series open to the community, or Meals on Wheels, Sandy's Pantry, or Toys for Tots. These are generally not assessed.
