Community Engagement
Celebrating 10 years of Strengthening Communities
1,333,821
The number of service hours students have contributed in the past 10 years
Established in 2007, WSU’s Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL), originally called the Community Involvement Center, offers wonderfully diverse programs that enrich lives in local communities.
For 10 years, students have amassed over a million service hours working within the three pillars of community engagement — service, democratic engagement and community research. CCEL participants have served the greater Ogden community, the state, the region, the country and the world.
Serving our community
2016-17
5,264
The number of students engaged in the community
105
The number of community partnerships CCEL has
141,543
The number of service hours contributed by WSU students (That adds up to 16 years!)
$3,400,000*
Value of service hours
*Calculated by Independent Sector
Connections Happen Here
Great Ideas and a Cup of Coffee
Valuable business ideas, great networking and a cup of coffee are drawing Utah entrepreneurs to a monthly gathering at Weber State Downtown known as 1 Million Cups (1MC).
In partnership with Weber State and Ogden’s Small Business Development Center, 1MC is a national program created by the Kauffman Foundation that came to Ogden in 2016. Held the first Wednesday of the month, two local startups make six-minute presentations followed by 20 minutes of feedback from community members in attendance.
Already attracting overflow crowds, 1MC is open to the public. “This is a way for the community to come together,” says organizer Brandon Stoddard, who also directs the Hall Global Entrepreneurship Center in the John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics. “We can each get personally involved in making Ogden one of the most enviable places to work, live and play.”
President Wight and Wife, Victoria, Serve Abroad
During the spring of 2017, a team of 20 volunteers, including WSU President Charles A. Wight and his wife Victoria Rasmussen, traveled to Ghana as part of a study abroad trip.
Trip director Lisa Trujillo, WSU respiratory therapy associate professor, has extensive knowledge and experience with service work in Ghana. In 2016, she helped the University of Ghana implement the country’s first and only respiratory therapy degree program.
The trip was Wight’s first international service trip with WSU. While in Ghana, he taught short courses on malaria prevention and represented the Rotary Club of Ogden, a trip sponsor. He also met with leaders at the University of Ghana to discuss their respiratory therapy program, which continues to receive development support from WSU.
A Community to Believe In
When Adrienne Andrews began working at Weber State University in 2005, she discovered a community that she not only believed in, but also acted on, promoting diversity and inclusion. Since 2015, Andrews has helped take those efforts to new heights as WSU’s first chief diversity officer. On campus, Andrews oversees a range of diversity programs and works with faculty, staff and students, along with the community, to create an inclusive environment. Off campus, she serves on several diversity commissions. Last summer, she helped launch a series of town hall conversations about race in Ogden. “Diversity and inclusion is not just my work,” she says. “This is our work together.” The Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business committee recognized her efforts, particularly on behalf of women, by presenting her with the 2017 ATHENA Leadership Award. 6: The number of town hall conversations, where as many as 250 people have participated as of June 2017
Startup Ogden Transforming Downtown
Three years after its inception, Startup Ogden is so successful, new businesses are spilling into neighboring buildings; the organization has given $100,000 in grants to Weber County businesses; and the name of one of its creators was added to Utah’s list of 100 Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs.
Opened in 2013 at WSU Downtown, Startup Ogden is an innovative, high-tech space that gives support to individuals with a dream and a passion for starting small businesses.
Utah Venture Entrepreneur Forum honored WSU’s Alex Lawrence, Startup Ogden’s advisory board chair, as one of the 100 Utahns in 2017 who is actively inspiring real people and encouraging world-changing entrepreneurial ideas.
6
The number of town hall conversations, where as many as 250 people have participated as of June 2017