Office of Community Engagement
Community Engaged Campus - The community engaged campus is driven by the value that arises from mutually beneficial campus community partnerships which incorporate diverse perspectives that strengthen the collective impact on the region. Through the utilization of the GivePulse (YSU PenguinPulse) platform, YSU will collect all community engaged experiential learning occurring both within and outside of the classroom. YSU PenguinPulse serves as the community engagement clearinghouse to enhance communication, collaboration and coordination. The YSU PenguinPulse newsletter showcases community engagement impacts and serves as the source of campus communication for community engagement and partnerships. The Community Partner Advisory Committee provides opportunities for input from community partners and adheres to the value of listening to the needs of the community and addressing needs collaboratively. The Community Engagement Council will lead the development of the YSU application to the Carnegie Foundation Elective Classification for Community Engagement.
Empowering knowledge to serve the community
The Office of Community Engagement (OCE) is dedicated to the collaboration and creation of community partnerships to positively impact the region. OCE serves as the centralized coordinating structure to enhance communication, connect organizations with the appropriate campus resources to advance collaboration requests, and collect all of the community-based experiences from students, faculty, and staff. Additionally, the OCE works with organizations to secure external funds to support meeting community needs and the people they serve. Led by experienced professionals, the OCE provides support and a variety of services to community organizations and departments across campus.
Assistance to Community Partners
The YSU Office of Community Engagement values its partnerships between community organizations and YSU students, faculty, and staff. Community partners in need of assistance (i.e. volunteers, interns, committee members, etc.) can express their needs here.
To support Youngstown State University’s mission and core values, the goals of the Office of Community Engagement include:
- Working with community partners to identify needs in the community and strategies for addressing such needs
- Tracking the community impact of our students, faculty and staff via YSU PenguinPulse, our community engagement platform
- Incorporating community engagement and experiential learning into the YSU curriculum
- Communicating the value of community engagement for all participants
- Pursuing and securing funding in support of university and community priorities
- Leading the institutional goal to achieve the Carnegie Foundation Elective Classification for Community Engagement
- Developing the framework to optimize, coordinate, and manage community engagement
YSU Definition of Community Engagement
YSU has adopted the Carnegie Foundation definition for community engagement:
"Community engagement describes collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching, and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good."
Further, at YSU, community engagement is the collaboration between YSU and the larger community for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources; most often service with a community partner or nonprofit organization.
There are four criteria that serve as standards in which courses submitted for CEL designation are reviewed and evaluated. They include:
- Engagement - The engagement component meets a public good through a collaboration between faculty and community partners. Students’ engagement has community impact. The course’s intent for the community is clear and valuable.
- Reflection - There is a mechanism for students to link their learning to course content. There is an opportunity to reflect upon the importance of the engagement.
- Reciprocity - Reciprocity is evident in the engagement component. All participants are in the role of teacher and learner, allowing mutual benefit for the student, the organization, and the community. Community partners involved in planning, evaluating & assessing.
- Public Dissemination - The engagement experience is presented to the partner/public or allows the opportunity for the community to engage in public dialogue.
Service Spotlight
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“Community engagement” is a broad term that encompasses all forms of collaboration between the university and the community toward a mutually beneficial outcome.
Students, Faculty and Staff:
Community Partners:
YSU PenguinPulse is the university platform for tracking community engagement and connecting individuals with opportunities to serve the community. By joining YSU PenguinPulse, students, faculty, staff, and community partners can:
- Track and reflect on their impact in the community
- Organize service projects and events for their course, organization, or area
- Match with community partners and volunteers that fit an individual’s interests and a partner’s needs
Community partners may request a free account for volunteer management by reaching out to communityengagement@ysu.edu or by using the link below.
Community Partner Assistance Request
How do I log into YSU PenguinPulse?
- Go to ysu.givepulse.com. You can also find the link the Penguin Portal.
- In the top right-hand corner, click the user dropdown. Select "Log In."
- Click "Login via YSU" and use your YSU username and password (if you are a student / faculty / staff member. Community members will have their own login credentials).
How do I find volunteer opportunities?
- From YSU's PenguinPulse page, click on the Events tab.
- Click on "Type" and filter for "Volunteer / Service Opportunity."
- Scroll the list of opportunities or filter for more specific parameters.
How do I promote a community engagement opportunity on YSU PenguinPulse?
- Go to ysu.givepulse.com, log in, then click on the "Submit Opportunity"" button to fill out a form for your event, or
- Click on the "Subgroups" tab, search for your YSU college/dept./office/center page, and click on it. Find your page's administrator and click "Message" to tell them about your event to get it added to your area's YSU PenguinPulse page.
How do I track my community engagement?
After registering for a community engagement opportunity and volunteering, log your service by:
- Selecting the user dropdown in the top right-hand corner.
- Clicking "Add Impact."
- Following the prompts as necessary to find the organization you served, mark if your services was attached to a course, add your hours or donation, and reflect upon your experience.
Faculty and staff should also be logging their personal impacts; however, full-time faculty who are already using Watermark to track community engagement do not have to double-track in YSU PenguinPulse. Please just ensure you are checking the community engagement box in Watermark when applicable.
As a faculty member, how do I track impacts from my courses?
If you'd like to add several impacts for multiple users (i.e., for a community-engaged learning experience in your course), you can bulk import the impacts:
- Create a spreadsheet that includes columns for student first names, last names, YSU emails, semester, and hours completed.
- Save as a .csv file
- Email the .csv file to communityengagement@ysu.edu, along with a description of the community engagement activity, and we will upload your impacts to YSU PenguinPulse.
What counts as an "impact" in YSU PenguinPulse?
An impact can be added for any community engagement activity or university service.
YSU has adopted the Carnegie Foundation's definition of community engagement. The full definition can be found here.
Further, at YSU, community engagement is the collaboration between YSU and the larger community for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources; most often service with a community partner or nonprofit organization.
e.g., Packaging food for families at United Way's Satur-Day of Caring event, serving on the Guinathon team to benefit Akron Children's Hospital, tutoring local grade school students, etc.
University service is: Unpaid time helping YSU areas / departments execute programs for the benefit of the YSU community and its students.
e.g., Volunteering for Penguin Preview Day, showing students how to register during orientation, helping out at a YSU sporting event, etc.
YSU has adopted the Carnegie Foundation's definition of community engagement. The full definition can be found here.
What does NOT count as an impact?
Activities that fall under the category of on-campus involvement should not be added as impacts in YSU PenguinPulse.
On-campus involvement is defined as: Student organization or campus event participation/leadership not tied to engagement with or for a community partner.
e.g., Attending student organization meetings, athletic events, theater productions, etc., taking on a leadership position in a student organization, planning an on-campus academic or social event with no service component. Such events may be posted as events in YSU PenguinPulse, but they do not count as community engagement.
Where can I find more help with YSU PenguinPulse?
- The Office Community Engagement's YouTube channel.
- The YSU PenguinPulse Monthly newletter, which is sent out at the beginning of each month.
- By emailing communityengagement@ysu.edu
Community Engagement Liaisons and Groups
Campus Liaisons
Campus Liaisons work collaboratively to coordinate community requests to engage.
- Athletics - Tyler Mettille
- Office of Community Engagement - Elizabeth Cianciola
- Sokolov Honors College - Andrea Tharp
- Student Experience - Caleb Queen
- Center for Workforce Education and Innovation – David Janofa
- Office of Belonging, Empowerment, and Engagement – Susan Moorer
- Cliffe College of Creative Arts – Katie Merrill
- College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – Emilie Brown
- Williamson College of Business Administration – Laura Dewberry
- Bitonte College of Health and Human Services – Amy Weaver
Community Engagement Council
The Community Engagement Council will lead the development of the YSU application to the Carnegie Foundation Elective Classification for Community Engagement.
- Heather Belgin, Alumni & Events
- Jeff Buchanan, English & World Languages
- Elizabeth Cianciola, Office of Community Engagement
- Amy Cossentino, Office of Academic Affairs
- Jaelyn Farris, Psychological Sciences & Counseling
- Mollie Hartup, Sokolov Honors College
- David Janofa, Center for Workforce Education and Innovation
- Alison Kaufman, Institute for Teaching and Learning
- Tyler Mettille, Athletics
- Andrea Tharp, Sokolov Honors College, YSU PenguinPulse
- Nancy Landgraff, Graduate Studies in Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
- Jessie Wright, Lariccia School of Accounting and Finance
- Jonathon Cambouris, Youngstown Historical Center of Labor and Industry
- Scot Loveland, Ohio APEX Accelerator
- Kristin Italiano, Beeghly College of Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, and Education
- Jenna Binsley, Tressel Institute for Leadership and Teamwork
- Chris Barzak, YSU Poetry Center
- Mark Vopat, Dr. James Dale Ethics Center
- Paul Sracic, Rigelhaupt Pre-Law Center
- Tim Francisco, Center for Working Class Studies
- John Bralich, Center for Applied GIS
Community Partner Advisory Committee
The Community Partner Advisory Committee provides opportunities for input from community partners and adheres to the value of listening to the needs of the community and addressing needs collaboratively.
- Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown
- Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning Valley
- Mill Creek Metro Parks
- OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children's Center for Science & Technology
- American Red Cross
- Economic Action Group
- Harmony Hospice
- MyPath Mahoning Valley
- Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley
- Rich Center for Autism
- Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley
- St. Patrick’s Church
- United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley
- Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown
- Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation
- Youngstown Playhouse
- YSU Eastern Ohio Area Health Center
- YSU Explorer Program
Externally funded initiatives include community organizations and school districts. Through these partnerships organizations are provided with resources to better meet the needs of the people they serve.
The Office of Community engagement provides evaluation, grant, programming, and training services to help organizations grow in Northeast Ohio.
Contact Us
(330) 941-3427 ♦ communityengagement@ysu.edu
Melissa J. Chizmar
Program Coordinator, YSU Explore
mjchizmar01@ysu.edu
330-941-1930
Kali Davies-Anderson, M.S.H.I.
Program Coordinator, Grants and Evaluation
kdaviesanderson@ysu.edu
330-941-2128
Elizabeth Cianciola, MS.Ed.
Director, OCE
eacianciola@ysu.edu
330-941-2227
Amy Cossentino, Ph.D.
Associate Provost, Strategy & Engagement & Dean
alcossentino@ysu.edu
330.941.4741
Levi Smith
Budget Administrator
ljsmith02@ysu.edu
330.941.3119
Andrea Tharp
Assistant Director, Sokolov Honors College
YSU PenguinPulse
amtharp@ysu.edu