Our collective work is grounded in concepts of equity and justice, and we recognize the inherent dignity and worth of all individuals who constitute our intertwined communities. We value deep partnership with community organizations/schools and members and envision our work as co-created with multiple constituencies.
With philosophical rooting in concepts of equity and justice, the Office of Community Engagement connects students, employees and local communities through partnerships intended to catalyze personal, institutional, and community change.
The Office of Community Engagement strives to:
In their words
“I grew a lot of patience and flexibility through working with the OCE…. I was also more willing to try new things and work with different groups of individuals.”— Jose Flores '16 , NYC ENL Teacher
“...figure out how you can bolster the incredible groundwork and organizing and political advocacy that's already being done.”— Sara Imperiale '10 , NRDC Litigation Director & Sr Attorney: Environment, Equity & Justice Center
“So just the idea that we can make, you know, big picture changes, when we work together, that is something that I carry with me and in the work that I do every single day.”— Diana Leguizamon '19 , Program Manager, New Jersey and Pennsylvania at Center For Support Schools
“...the way that we approach building relationships and holding each other accountable for caring for ourselves and for other people- we should lean into that as much as we can.”— Kyra Hickey, '21 , Community Engagement Coordinator at Binghamton University
“By the time I left Muhlenberg my understanding of community engagement was much more nuanced. It was much more bidirectional and complex.”— Adam Halpern '16 , Pediatric Resident at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital
“Knowing how to ask questions when I don't know something is a tool that I learned from work with the OCE.”— Shaynie Hayward '19 , Program Coordinator at BroadFutures, Inc.
The Office of Community Engagement facilitates meaningful opportunities for students to learn from and help local communities.
Muhlenberg is one of 471 higher education institutions recognized for outstanding efforts to increase nonpartisan student voting in the 2024 election.
Davidson wins $5,000 grant for a tree science project at a local elementary and will present at global CityLab conference later this year in Mexico.
The College's collaboration with the Lehigh County Department of Corrections helps leverage education as a tool to end mass incarceration.
The College is one of 471 higher education institutions recognized for outstanding efforts to increase nonpartisan student voter participation in the 2024 election.
The Muhlenberg community demonstrates high levels of political engagement through robust student voter registration and turnout efforts, the work of a nationally recognized polling institute and a series of election-related events that have been happening every presidential and midterm election year since 1992.
Maddie Davidson ’25 received a Youth Climate Action Fund Grant from the City of Allentown to create a tree science and stewardship project at Allentown School District’s Muhlenberg Elementary School. She will also present at a worldwide conference called CityLab being held October 14-16 in Mexico City.
The College earned a Gold Seal from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for nonpartisan student voter engagement, with 41.9% of Muhlenberg students turning out to vote, significantly higher than the national average.
