Center for Community Engagement

MISSION STATEMENT

We demonstrate and proclaim the Gospel by equipping our students for a lifetime of Christ-like, justice-minded service and by building strong connections between the campus and community to address complex social problems.

OUR STRATEGIES

To achieve our mission, we…

1. Integrate academic growth and community service through our scholarship programs
2. Collaborate with community-engaged faculty and staff on service learning, community-based research and community engagement programming
3. Support our students’ professional, emotional, spiritual and moral growth
4. Build strong partnerships within our local community and region
5. Promote opportunities to volunteer and gain local knowledge
6. Facilitate honest dialogue about (and spread awareness of) issues of oppression and social injustice in our local community, region, nation and world
7. Emphasize recruitment of, support for and advocacy alongside students from low-income, first-generation, marginalized and otherwise vulnerable populations
8. Participate in our democracy through voter education, issue-based learning and public policy research

In all of our efforts, we strive to help Carson-Newman University achieve our larger institutional mission “as Christian educators to help our students become educated citizens and worldwide servant-leaders” and realize our vision to become “the Christian liberal arts based university of choice in the Southeast for education and service.”

OUR VALUES

COMMUNITY
Deciding every day to live as a network of people who come together as one to love, empower and advocate for one another.
Psalm 133, Isaiah 11:2, 2 Corinthians 5:16-17, Galatians 6:2, Ephesians 3:14-21 & 1 John 4:7-12

INCLUSION
Recognizing, accepting and celebrating our differences as the power that makes each of us unique and creative.
Acts 8:26-40, Acts 10, 1 Corinthians 12 & Romans 12

EMPATHY
Seeking to understand others and holding space in order to listen to other people’s stories
Mark 7:24-30, Luke 10:25-37, John 8:1-11 & Acts 10

AUTHENTICITY
Practicing the ability to show up as your full self and be honest.
Psalm 139, 2 Corinthians 8 & 12:7-10

RESPECT
Showing dignity and consideration toward others while learning how to build appropriate boundaries in different settings and contexts.
Matthew 7:1-12, Romans 12, Philippians 2 & 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

HOSPITALITY
Welcoming all peaceful visitors, guests and newcomers with our warmth and our attention, offering them refreshment and ensuring they are safe and reasonably comfortable.
Leviticus 19:33-34, Matthew 25, Luke 14:7-14 & Hebrews 13:2