Office of Community Engagement

OCE Mission Statement

The Office of Community Engagement (OCE) provides an infrastructure for coordinated university-community engagement that builds on the interests and expertise of faculty, staff, students, and community members. Community engagement describes the institution's commitment to strengthen its local, regional/state, national, and global communities through meaningful partnerships, research, programs, and service.

In 2015, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching honored the University of North Carolina Wilmington as one of 157 engaged higher education institutions across the nation. OCE works to better connect UNCW faculty, staff, and students with businesses, schools, and organizations in Southeast North Carolina to meet community needs locally, nationally, and even globally.

Goals:

  • Facilitate short-term and long-term engagement initiatives that effectively meet stakeholder needs and university expectations.
  • Measure the impact of community projects and efforts of partnerships.
  • Provide an infrastructure for coordinated university community engagement - including staffing, funding, policies and processes, and strategies for input, planning, assessment, and feedback - that builds on the interests and expertise of faculty, staff, students, and community members.
  • Work to better connect the campus (faculty, staff, and students) with businesses, schools, and organization in Southeast North Carolina.
  • Seed funding grants for faculty to engage in service-learning and community-based research with students.
  • Address the needs and aspirations - environmental, social, economic, and civic - identified by community partners, primarily in Southeastern North Carolina.
  • Encourage students, faculty, staff, community members and leaders to engage in community initiatives.

Our Leadership Team

Brogdon_Kristen
Kristen Brogdon, Interim
 Associate Vice Chancellor

 Diane Badakhsh
Diane Badakhsh
 Director, Continuing and Professional Education
Natasha Davis, Director of Qeno
Natasha Davis
 Director, Quality Enhancement
for Nonprofit Organizations (QENO)
Allyson (Scot) Kelly
 Executive Assistant
MORSE17.jpg
Shelley Morse
 Director, Osher Life Long Learning (OLLI)		 watkinsjm_000.jpg
Jonathan Watkins
Registration Manager, Community Engagement Programs