Community engagement at Occidental College strives for collaborative, long-term and community driven partnerships between faculty, students, staff and community partners. We define community to be local, national and global, and engage through curricular and co-curricular research, projects and activities. Our approach develops students who will commit to lifelong learning and engagement for the sake of positive social change and the enactment of social justice. Community engagement efforts are coordinated by the Center for Community Based Learning, the Office for Community Engagement, and the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute.
Scope of Work:
Occidental College is committed to educating its students to be global citizens who are committed to engagement and social justice. Community engagement is central to the way the College realizes its mission. The Program Coordinator supports co-curricular activities of the Office of Community Engagement (OCE), the curriculum-connected projects with the Center for Community Based Learning (CCBL), and the research and program based activities of the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute (UEPI). This position requires a passion for and dedication to social justice issues. A desire to support responsible engagement of Occidental students and faculty with local community organization and a deep understanding of how the intersections between institutions, students, faculty, staff and community members contribute to that endeavor.
Position Responsibilities:
The Program Coordinator will work with CCBL, OCE and UEPI to perform the following duties:
- Facilitate communications between CCBL, OCE and UEPI with other offices including Communications, Career Development Center, Undergraduate Research Center, International Programs Office, Center for Digital Learning and Research, Institutional Research, Institutional Advancement, etc.
- Provide administrative support for the three offices including the coordination of meetings and events, coordination of transportation arrangements, submission of weekly check requests, tracking of expenses, and other necessary tasks.
- Develop and maintain the College’s community engagement website designed to inform and highlights activities, projects and events by students, staff, faculty and community partners.
- Collect and sort community engagement data and maintain a database of community partners, students, and faculty interested and involved in community engagement.
- Support partnerships with community based organizations, as needed and assigned, including acquiring feedback on curricular and co-curricular collaborations and activities, to maintaining ongoing communications.
- Research best practices and models at other schools, and work with the three offices to strategically link community engagement efforts on and off campus.
- Assist with supervision of undergraduate and graduate staff, and provide as needed support for student service clubs.
- Other duties as assigned.
Position Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree is required with 1-2 years’ experience working with diverse community groups on social justice issues.
- Must be organized and self-starting with outstanding written, oral, research and analytical skills, and a willingness to learn quickly.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, work independently and collaborative as part of a team.
- Knowledge of, and experience with the non-profit community and educational institutions in Los Angeles is strongly preferred.
- Experience administering civic/community engagement programming and university/community collaborations within a higher education setting is strongly preferred.
- Must have a commitment to the mission of the liberal arts college, and commitment to community engagement and social justice issues.
- Excellent computer skills and ability to use word processing, data management and web software.
- Have a valid driver’s license and be comfortable driving 7-8 passenger van.
To apply, submit a cover letter and resume to: resumes@oxy.edu.