Welcome to Community-Engaged Leadership
The Office of Community-Engaged Leadership (CEL) engages Appalachian State University students in academic, experiential, and community-oriented programs that enhance their capacity to serve and lead in socially-responsible ways for the benefit of their local and global communities.
For over a decade, Alternative Service Experience and Service for Peace have partnered through our international service programs. In this video, participants in the 2023 Dominican Republic ASE program share their experiences working and learning alongside Service for Peace in the community of El Batey. Members of the El Batey community and Service for Peace organization also share about their time together. For details about upcoming ASE international programs and how to sign up, visit ase.appstate.edu/winter.
Intercultural Student Affairs teamed up with Community-Engaged Leadership Jan. 24 to host the third annual Leadership & Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. workshop in Plemmons Student Union.
“While his message has transcended generations, we are still talking about it today. He really had put his life on the line literally for what he believed in. He truly was a radical leader,” said Lamont Sellers, director of the Office of Intercultural Student Affairs. “All the great things that he was able to accomplish and do in his short time on this earth, we need to recognize that as well.”
You have to be 18 to vote, which means a lot of people’s first time casting a ballot is in college.
That’s why Appalachian State University's Director of the Office of Community-Engaged Leadership Heather Jo Mashburn says higher education institutions should support them in doing that.
“We believe that we have an important role to play in preparing our students to participate in a democracy," she said. "And doing that very intentionally and in a disciplined way to be nonpartisan is really our goal.”
App State’s Office of Community-Engaged Leadership (CEL) held its second annual Mobilize the Mountains Day of Service on Feb. 24, with dozens of student and faculty volunteers contributing over 111 hours of community service to two local nonprofit organizations:
During the 2022–23 academic year, six Days of Service provided 699 volunteer hours to 16 local organizations whose missions directly impacted Watauga County.
The Community-Engaged Leadership office is pleased to reflect on the success of our recent Global Leadership Exchange (GLE) program. Conducted during the week of September 3rd, this initiative brought twelve students from the University of Johannesburg to engage with our Appalachian State community. Throughout the program week, student leaders from both institutions actively participated in global dialogue, fostering cultural exchange through small-group discussions and relationship-building activities.
The Office of Community-Engaged Leadership has many opportunities for personal and professional growth in leadership and one's sense of community. As the university expands, so does the desire to connect with one another. CEL works to create opportunities for students to develop genuine connections with their local and global communities in addition to their fellow ASU peers. Below are three testimonies from students involved in a variety of CELs jobs, programs, and opportunities.