CTICE to Co-Host First Community Engagement Info-Fair, Monday, April 13

On Monday, April 13, from 5-7 pm, the Mudd Building’s Carleton Lounge will be the site of the first Columbia-Barnard Community Engagement and Service Info-Fair. The Fair is designed so that students can learn about all the for-credit courses, co-curricular programs, internships, and other sponsored opportunities available for civic engagement and community service at Columbia.

So far, campus offices and organizations planning to participate at the Fair include the following:

• American Studies Program
• Barnard New York City Civic Engagement Program
• Center for Career Education
• Center for Technology, Innovation and Community Engagement
• Columbia/Barnard Hillel
• Community Impact
• Double Discovery Center
• Jumpstart
• Morningside Area Alliance
• Office of Student Group Advising
• School of General Studies
• Urban Studies

And we hope to confirm a couple more on Monday.

This isn’t going to be an elaborate event — just tables with information, representatives to answer questions, and some food. But for us, the Fair represents a big step forward in intra-campus collaboration. CTICE is co-sponsoring this event with the Barnard New York City Civic Engagement Program; the Office of Student Group Advising (part of the Division of Student Affairs); and the Dean of Students Office at the School of General Studies. Each of these offices is actively involved in the community, or supports students who are, but not always in concert. We know that we can cover more ground if we spread out a little, but we haven’t done as well as we might have in coordinating our various activities.

We hope Monday’s Fair will be not only the first of a series of Fairs and other vehicles to let students know about the range of community engagement possibilities at Columbia and Barnard but also the beginning of more effective integration and collaboration among the many offices on campus that work in the community. And so to Todd Smith at OSGA, Will Simpkins at Barnard, Sonia Reese at Community Impact, and Dominic Stellini at General Studies, thanks for taking the lead in making this Info-Fair happen.

CTICE launches new website

After several months of planning and construction, Columbia University’s Center for Technology, Innovation and Community Engagement (CTICE) is pleased to unveil a new website. Designed by Columbia University Information Technology (CUIT), the new website tries to guide users through the whole range of CTICE programming. 

The new website includes information on CTICE programs for Columbia University students, our youth programs (including K-12 programs), our community activities, and general information on the Center. It also links to the new Columbia-Harlem Small Business Development Center, which CTICE launched in February 2009.

The site remains a work in progress. Our planned improvements over the next few months include online registration for CTICE events and programs, a searchable guide to all CTICE-related projects, and a comprehensive video library. If you have suggestions or comments regarding the website, please contact Tim Cross at tpc3@columbia.edu.