Collaborative Center

The Collaborative Center for Community Engagement is dedicated to supporting campus-community partnerships to advance the public good in our New Brunswick and Piscataway communities, throughout the state of New Jersey, and beyond.

Engaging Communities, Connecting Students

Rutgers–New Brunswick defines community engagement as "the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger community for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity."

Collaborative Center programs connect more than 3000 students, faculty, and staff each year to community partners in New Brunswick and beyond through in-depth placements and projects involving policy research, access to education, health, language, and the arts, to name a few.

The Collaborative Center offers a variety of ways for the Rutgers community (staff, faculty, students, and student organizations) and the general public to engage in the surrounding community. Volunteers have the opportunity to assist non-profit organizations and government agencies in food distribution, community clean-ups, among other opportunities. If you have a program or group interested in schedule an opportunity to volunteer and engage with the community or would like to explore doing so, you can email civic@odi.rutgers.edu and we can begin the process.

The Collaborative Center for Community Engagement at Rutgers University–New Brunswick is a non-partisan organization. Therefore, political content on all Collaborative Center social media will be moderated.

Learn more about Collaborative Center Programs

Get Involved

Learn about the creative ways the Collaborative Center brings together community partners, government leaders, education, health, and arts professionals, youth and families, to improve community life within an orientation to elicite social transformation.

Advancing Community Development

The Advancing Community Development (ACD) Program is a one-semester, community-based learning program administered by Rutgers Collaborative Center for Community Engagement in partnership with Johnson & Johnson.

Rutgers Bonner Leaders

Bonner leaders engage deeply within the New Brunswick and Piscataway communities as they learn to serve with an orientation in eliciting societal transformation.

RCommunity

RCommunity is an online platform that will be utilized to list, find, organize, promote, document service, and measure the impact of engagement (service-learning, philanthropy, volunteerism, and engagement) in the community both on and off-campus. It connects the campus and community by sharing opportunities, facilitating new and existing partnerships, and offering resources to the Rutgers community, off-campus community, and student organizations. It is for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners.

Civic Voices

Civic Voices is a community-based audio project developed by George Street Playhouse and Rutgers Collaborative Center for Community Engagement.

Community Walking Tours

Rutgers Collaborative Center’s Community Tours are an informative and fun way to familiarize the Rutgers Community with its surrounding city neighborhoods.

Community Engagement Best Practices Presentation

The Community Engagement Best Practices presentation is designed to showcase how to approach community engagement in a responsible and ethical manner. The interactive presentation is around 30 minutes. For more information or to schedule a presentation, please email civic@odi.rutgers.edu.

Discover Collaborative Center Programs

Community Engagement Partner Updates

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE), housed in the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, works throughout the state to engage volunteers in the areas of food security, commerical agriculture, health and wellness, natural resource stewardship and environmental protection, youth development, climate resilience, marine fisheries and aquaculture, and home gardening. Their 2024 Annual Impact Report can be found below.

View Impact Report

Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA)

In 2003, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. This award honors individuals and student groups whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.

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Collaborative Engagement Leadership Support Fund

The Collaborative Center for Community Engagement connects with over 9,100 people and contributes 8,200 hours of engagement annually through on and off-campus events and site placements. It offers various ways for Rutgers students, faculty, staff, and the public to make a difference in the community through education and action. Please support the Collaborative’s mission to connect Rutgers to local communities and drive positive change.