Key Competencies
We define “key competencies” in this micro-credential area as the knowledge, skills, and critical commitments that must be mobilized by CEPs to manage and administer an effective community engagement program.
To earn this micro-credential, an individual effectively demonstrates their knowledge, experience, skills, and critical commitments in the following areas:
- Knowledge of context: of self, of institution, of environments external to the institution, of history of engagement
- Able to effectively manage and sustain a portfolio of engagement initiatives based on various program approaches (e.g., curricular and co-curricular)
- Able to cultivate and maintain relationships (e.g., with students, faculty, staff, and community representatives/ stakeholders)
- Able to network across role and units/departments (e.g., academic programs, student affairs units, community institutions/ stakeholders)
- Able to provide resources to a variety of constituents, including students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community partners
- Able to develop and supervise staff
- Able to cultivate and manage multiple funding streams and budgets
- Knowledge of assessments and evaluation methods; able to assess and evaluate impact of community engagement on its stakeholders (e.g., students, faculty, communities, institution)
- Knowledge base in forms of oppression and inequality (e.g., systemic, institutional and interpersonal) and an ability to name how engagement programs you manage/oversee are intentionally developed, managed, or sustained with those understandings in mind
Dispositions
- Embrace critical thinking
- Embrace visionary thinking
- Embrace community partner as co-educator
Critical Commitments
- Commitment to dialogue with community