It's the sense of connectedness that people feel with one another, plus the willingness to participate in community problem-solving. "Community" can be local, national or global. It means getting involved; making a difference.
Civic engagement is more than just volunteer work. A cornerstone for civic engagement is giving back to the community, but it also involves "service learning."
Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that combines service work in the community with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach good citizenship skills civic responsibility, all while strengthening communities - near and far. Higher education has an urgent and fundamental obligation to renew its role as an agent of democracy. We do that, in part, through "civic engagement."
The mission of the Office of Civic Engagement (OCE) is to strengthen democratic values and instill a sense of civic and social responsibility in UMA students. Our objective is to empower students to become informed citizens and lifelong activists. OCE emphasizes the importance of giving back to the community by increasing and enhancing opportunities for students to become agents of positive social change. UMA is dedicated to graduating students that are civically aware, knowledgeable, skilled and committed to the greater good within local, regional, national and global communities.
We encourage all faculty and students to define education as experiential and relevant to their civic lives and their communities through curricular and co-curricular activities.
Contact the OCE staff:
Valerie Marsh, Coordinator of Civic Engagement - 621-3158
Jennifer Zabko, Americorps*VISTA - 621-3173
Office of Civic Engagement, Augusta
Randall Student Center 206
1-877-862-1234, ext. 3158