About Our Work

Mission

The Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement prepares students to serve as change-makers. We develop, promote, and advance civic engagement, leadership development, and meaningful service to create positive social change.

Established in 1994, the Social Change Model approaches leadership as a purposeful, collaborative, values-based process that results in positive social change. The model was built upon the ideas that:

Leadership is concerned with effecting change on behalf of others and society
Leadership is collaborative
Leadership is a process rather than a position
Leadership should be value-based
All students (not just those who hold formal leadership positions) are potential leaders
Service is a powerful vehicle for developing students’ leadership skills

The Social Change Model of Leadership is based on seven values called the “Seven C’s”:

Consciousness of Self
Congruence
Commitment
Collaboration
Common Purpose
Controversy with Civility
Citizenship

All of these values contribute to the ultimate goal: CHANGE.

We develop Change-Makers, students who are active participants in society accountable to and responsible for the common good. Their willingness to act and ability to lead transforms visions into reality. In doing so, they are able to negotiate diverse views and adapt behaviors to work with others as agents of positive and ethical change.

Foundations of Community Engagement

OLCE’s Foundations of Community Engagement aim to prepare students to engage with the community ethically and effectively. The foundations were adapted from Stanford’s Principles of Ethical and Effective Service and informed by the Social Change Model. They guide our work with students, faculty, and community partners to inform program design, implementation, and evaluation, as well as to ensure that our work aligns with our values.

The foundations are aspirational and intentionally provocative. Ethical and effective service is an ongoing process—whether we are engaging in public service for the first time or have significant experience. These are the five foundations: