Community Engagement & Leadership (CEL) Program Faculty Guidelines and Curriculum Resources
Join us for an exciting way to teach your courses with an officially designated Community Engagement and Leadership (CEL) component! Many faculty for years have included some form of community engagement and/or leadership aspects in their courses, and can now have an official “CEL” designation and curriculum approach that can be added to one’s teaching arsenal.
Students who take these types of courses will be able to see this new “CEL” designation appear on their transcripts, which is helpful for recruiters and employers looking for talented graduates with valuable experience and expertise in community-engaged and leadership activities.
Such courses also help faculty to further invigorate their curriculum, fine-tune teaching and research skills in line with the Boyer model of scholarship, find new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations, and overall maximize evaluation and recognition of their work.
For faculty, getting one's course “CEL” designated is a straightforward process for courses that meet key criteria.
Come on board with us and help build on our mission of access and excellence through community-engaged learning!
For those curious about the program, please check out the highlighted videos below of some of our top faculty members who already teach a variety of exciting and ground-breaking CEL designated courses!
CEL Faculty Video 1 (Video Production and Closed Captions by CFLD/Creative Studios):
CEL Faculty Video 2 (Video Production and Closed Captions by CFLD/Creative Studios):
The application process has been streamlined for your benefit and ease. For assistance or questions regarding the application process, please contact Dr. Selfa Chew Meléndez (sachewsmithart@utep.edu).
Application Process: Materials and Resources for Getting Started
TARGET DEADLINES
Summer and Fall 2025, April 15, 2025
Syllabus Design Guide:
Supplemental Application Resources:
-
CEL Student Workshops: Digital Portfolios Training with Dr. Ruth McDonald
-
archived CEL Training Workshops:
*See also our links and recordings of past sessions (Links): October 6 Workshop, November 20 Training, -
Past Workshop CCE Session Training Slides: PPT
-
CEL Program Advising Information Handout: PDF
-
Civic Engagement Value Rubric: PDF
-
CEL Annual Progress Report (2019-2020): PDF
SAMPLE SYLLABI
-
Meredith Abarca Sample Syllabus (ENGL 3374): PDF
-
Brad Cartwright Sample Syllabus (HIST 5390): PDF
-
Areli Chacón Sample Syllabus (MLS 5300): PDF
-
Cherry Duke Sample Syllabus (MUSA 2253/5101): PDF
-
Brad Jacobson Sample Syllabus (ENGL 4355): PDF
-
Maissa Khatib Sample Syllabus (WS 3321): PDF
-
Yolanda Leyva Sample Syllabus (HIST 5390): PDF
-
Mari Noopila Sample Syllabus (MLS 5326): PDF
-
Andrea Shaheen Sample Syllabus (MUSA 3325): PDF
-
José Villalobos Sample Syllabus (POLS 4315): PDF
Modules and Tools for Support in Developing CEL Curriculum
-
Global Oneness Project (Stories and Lesson Plans): LINK
-
Teaching Tolerance (Classroom Resources): LINK
-
Personal Bias Exercises: PDF
-
DoSomething.org (Student-Led Activities): LINK
Guidance for Online and Remote CEL Activities:
-
Making Community Engagement Matter for Online Teaching: PDF
-
Remote Community Engagement Activities: DOCX | PDF
-
Campus Compact CE Guidance in Response to COVID-19 Challenges: LINK
-
Calm and Compassionate Online Teaching: Q&A: LINK
The College of Liberal Arts Dean's Office wants to thank all founding and former participating members of the CEL Task Force & Review Committee for their contributions and efforts with CEL designated courses.
