CEL Specialist

Founded in 1855, TCNJ offers a highly personalized and collaborative liberal arts education with over 7,400 undergraduates and 700 graduate students. The college is consistently ranked among the top comprehensive colleges in the nation, offering small classes, a 13:1 student-faculty ratio, and an immersive living-learning experience. With a 4-year graduation rate ranked #1 in New Jersey and #9 among U.S. public institutions, TCNJ is a model for public higher education.

About the Center for Community Engagement

TCNJ’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE) is the primary administrative home to the College’s community engagement activities that integrate educational experiences with community service, student development, and civic participation. The Center is the home to two institutes: Community Engaged Learning (CEL) Institute and the Bonner Institute. Grounded in TCNJ’s mission to “empower its diverse students, staff, and faculty to sustain and enhance their communities,” as well as TCNJ’s commitment to the public purpose of higher education, TCNJ’s CCE develops lifelong learners who are prepared to lead lives of critically informed community engagement.

The CEL Institute oversees and coordinates TCNJ’s community engaged learning activities. CEL is an educational experience in which students engage in an organized community-based activity or project that addresses community-identified needs. CEL experiences are intentionally designed to advance the communities and community members with which they engage, while developing knowledge of and experience with civic responsibility, diverse communities, social issues, and social systems and structures. CEL at TCNJ takes three primary forms: a first-year community engaged learning experience; Introductory and Advanced CEL courses; and internships, and community engaged learning research and special projects.

About the Role

The CEL Specialist supports the Community Engaged Learning Institute by managing the CEL Courses program with support from the CEL Director and assisting with First-Year CEL programming in coordination with the CEL Manager. This 10-month position is primarily responsible for collaborating with faculty, staff, campus partners, and community partners to design, implement, and assess meaningful community engaged learning opportunities, including CEL courses, CEL internships, CEL scholarship, and related community-based learning experiences. This role requires independent program coordination, strong faculty and partner collaboration, knowledge of CEL course design and best practices, and the ability to assess a complex program involving multiple stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Manage the CEL Courses program with support from the CEL Director.
• Collaborate with faculty and staff to create, implement, and assess meaningful community engaged learning opportunities, including CEL classes, CEL internships, CEL scholarship, and related experiences.
• Support faculty in CEL course design by connecting faculty to appropriate community partners, ensuring reciprocal relationships, updating syllabi to include appropriate graded assignments and reflection activities, and sharing best practices for project design and implementation.
• Support implementation through logistics, local travel coordination, access to CEL funding, and additional student workshops.
• Support assessment through class-specific surveys, class visits to lead reflection discussions, and CEL rubric training to assess related assignments.
• Evaluate CEL program goals, processes, and operations, and implement alternative procedures to meet program objectives as necessary.
• Direct the maintenance of essential records and files, including the CEL class application process, PAWS designations, database and website upkeep, and CEL reporting.
• Prepare detailed correspondence communicating expectations, requirements, processes, and timelines for CEL programming.
• Collaborate with General Counsel to update waivers, policies, and procedures to ensure relevant federal and/or state laws and regulations are followed, and manage students’ compliance with required forms and behaviors.
• Maintain integrity and appropriate confidentiality in program operations.
• Advise and counsel students, parents, and/or staff when emergent problems occur within the CEL program, consulting with the Director to resolve problems or policy concerns as needed.
• Develop findings, conclusions, and recommendations for assessment, promotion, and improvement of the CEL program.
• Develop and maintain community partnerships and support campus-wide community engagement initiatives.
• Maintain and develop mutually beneficial relationships with community partners and non-profit organizations in the Trenton region.
• Meet with interested partners to learn about their needs and connect them to appropriate CCE programs, faculty, or campus partners.
• Attend and coordinate staff attendance at community meetings to build new relationships.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for CEL Courses-related questions from faculty, students, community partners, and campus stakeholders.
• Provide guidance on CEL expectations, course logistics, reflection activities, community partner coordination, student compliance requirements, and program timelines.
• Coordinate with the CEL Director on complex issues, policy concerns, or matters requiring escalation.
• Support First-Year CEL programming as needed in coordination with the CEL Manager, who oversees the First-Year CEL program. Assistance may include supporting service logistics, helping with service experience coordination, supporting assessment activities, and providing back-up leadership of direct service experiences, including driving 15-passenger vehicles when necessary.
• Attend and participate in Professional Development meetings, trainings, and conferences.

Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited college with a Bachelor's degree supplemented by a Master's degree (preferred) in a field related to the position to be filled or equivalency as determined by the appointing authority.
• Experience in familiarity with the culture of higher education institutions and experience working with faculty.
• Experience building and maintaining community partnerships, with Trenton-area community partners preferred.
• Experience organizing and managing records and assessments.
• Experience designing and implementing plans and projects.
• Experience with community-engaged learning theory and practice.
• Experience in training and public speaking.
• Familiarity with civic engagement and social change topics.
• Non-provisional driver's license.

Employment at TCNJ is contingent upon the successful completion of an applicable background check, reference checks, and verification of identity and authorization to work in the United States (Form I-9).

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefit plans covering medical, dental, and prescription plans.
• Generous leave entitlements program and Energy Savings Program.
• Employee and dependent Tuition Waiver and Reimbursement Program.
• Pension, retirement, and deferred compensation plans, group life insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Employee affinity groups.
• New Jersey State Employee Discount Program (Pet insurance, cell phone plan discounts, discounted amusement park tickets, etc.).
• Access to extensive learning opportunities.

Pay

Internal salary: $57,072.15 - $91,302.36 (for applicants who are current NJ state employees with underlying classified status for promotional calculations). External salary: $57,072.15 - $65,629.71 (for candidates who are not NJ state employees).

Schedule

Full-time, 10-month position, 35 hours per week.