Welcome to the Civic and Community Engagement Center (CCEC)! To be civically engaged means combining awareness, education and action for active citizenship and democratic participation. It means becoming aware of civic and political issues and concerns. It means learning to think critically, creatively, and in concert with others, about solving problems – small and large – and becoming architects and agents of positive change in our local communities and the wider world. It means working for the common good, not focusing exclusively on private concerns. It means coming to understand and act upon the knowledge that we live in an interconnected world of interdependent communities.

If our local communities are to thrive, if our nation and the global community are to flourish, we must reclaim our identity as citizens. We must work to reimagine and revive the public sphere. Those who are civically engaged contribute to society, their communities, in ways large and small, through thoughtful acts of service, advocacy, meaning-making and problem-solving. Civic and community engagement at Ramapo College of New Jersey takes many forms and spans several programs and activities throughout the College.

We invite you to explore the site and visit the programs operated by the Civic and Community Engagement Center. While the Civic and Community Engagement Center houses many programs, it is not the sole source for civic engagement at Ramapo. Many faculty enrich their courses with dynamic service and engagement opportunities for their students. Several student clubs and Greek life organizations have service, engagement and/or philanthropy at the heart of their missions. Please also visit links to our community partners and to some of these other programs within the College.