Department Coordinator, Community Engagement Center

Overview

The Community Engagement Program Associate operates as part of a collaborative team of five professionals and two support staff to deliver a diverse range of curricular and co-curricular high impact community-engaged programs and opportunities. Plays a key role in building and enhancing college and community partnerships, emphasizing mutually beneficial and reciprocal relationships.

 

This position provides operational support to the Community Engagement Center and affiliated programs. Primary responsibilities include tracking the details of multiple budget lines, including operating, endowed, and grant funds; program, event and activity support; maintaining website and assisting in the development of communications materials for CEC;  data management and statistics gathering; student employee coordination including supervising 1-2 student office assistants; general office management & department collaboration, supporting team of 6 professional staff offering a menu of curricular and co-curricular offerings related to community engagement.

 

This is a full-time, non-exempt position that requires being onsite during business hours Monday through Friday. 

 

About The Department: The Community Engagement Center is a catalyst for deep collaborative engagement which centers community knowledge(s) and agency in order to creatively solve problems, engage community-identified needs and initiate transformative change. 

The work of the Community Engagement Center is rooted in place. We strive to have ongoing, reciprocal, and dynamic relationships with local communities, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies in the Twin Cities. Macalester is located on land identified currently as the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul, but we are situated close to and engage with a wide range of neighborhoods throughout St. Paul and Minneapolis — each with its own history and current reality.

While the Twin Cities is lauded for a wide range of community assets and successes, it is vital to recognize that we also have some of the worst equity outcomes (disparities) in the nation. Each neighborhood has a specific history related to settler colonialism, racism, and exclusion. We believe it is imperative to dig deeply into the narratives of people and places as we engage with others in community-engaged work. Situating our work within an understanding of often imbalanced power dynamics helps to bridge teaching & learning with critical community engagement. Building multifaceted long-term relationships is essential to our ability to nurture trust and co-create partnerships that use asset-based approaches to  advance shared priorities.

Responsibilities

• Program, Event & Activity Support

Processes student applications for CEC programs, including creation of on-line application forms, merging of data, issuing reminders and ensuring applications are complete. Assists with the planning and implementation of the annual pre-orientation & orientation event for first-years and orientation for ongoing groups. Works with campus reservation staff to find appropriate space and room setups. Creates and tracks RSVPs for department events. Arranges for, reserves appropriate transportation for, and ensures payment of vendors for community-based learning in classes or co-curricular events, including managing the CEC HourCar membership, campus van rental, and bus reservations. Ensures evaluation data is entered and reported accurately.

• Communication, Marketing & Publicity

 

Develops advertisements of various means: social media, posters, email newsletters, Event Calendar, Mac Daily, etc. Creates and drives a social media and communications strategy for the CEC. Maintains and updates the Community Engagement Center website and newsletter lists. Utilizes survey information for input into SLATE tracking system, presentations, reporting, etc. from various formats. Stays informed of, and sometimes collaborates for communications with, academic consortia (i.e. Project Pericles, Imagining America, Campus Compact, Bonner, etc.).

• Budget Tracking & Processes

 

Creates processes to manage and track finances of the departmental budget, funds and grants within the department, including development and maintenance of complex databases and spreadsheets. Processes expenditures and initiates payment. Develops and maintains systems to keep track of applicants, budgets and track expenses for student projects. Works with students to ensure correct paperwork is submitted and submits reports. Works with co-directors, staff, and campus offices to ensure timely and accurate financial reports to staff and funders. 

• Data Management & St