Community Engagement
The Department of Community Engagement builds the mission-based collaborative capacity of the institution by fostering a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources between stakeholders through various relationships and partnership reciprocities. Community engagement is an institutional steward of excellent opportunities for learning and serving beyond the gates of the university.
Community Engagement Programs
Day of Service
This event is the annual New Student Welcome service project tradition for all first-year students, iMU faculty/staff facilitators, and Laker Leaders prior to the start of the academic year. Participants provide more than 1,400 hours of service among 20+ regional nonprofit sites during one memorable morning.
Beyond the Gates (BTG) Partnerships and Placements
All sophomore or junior level students participate in a one-credit community-engaged learning experience graduation requirement called Beyond The Gates. Over 300 students participate each semester, being placed in 30 different local community locations including soup kitchens/food pantries, school mentoring programs for children, afterschool tutoring and recreation, and wellness programming for senior citizens. The Department of Community Engagement coordinates logistics and placement with each student, with an average of more than 75 students who utilize door-to-door university-provided shuttle transportation weekly.
Department of Community Engagement
Office: Main Level, Student Union
Meet the Staff
Community Engagement

Alice Edwards
Chair, Anthropology and World Languages; Professor, Spanish; Faculty Liaison, Community Engagement