Point Park University's Heather Starr Fiedler and Shawn Sweeney Earn National Community Engagement Credential Monday, September 20, 2021
Heather Starr Fiedler, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Community Engagement, and Shawn Sweeney, M.S., community engagement coordinator, recently earned a micro-credential in Community Engagement Fundamentals through Campus Compact’s Community Engagement Professional Credentialing Program.
The Community Engagement Fundamentals credential is earned by providing a summary of the foundation of the field and the breadth of community-engaged work in accordance with the key competencies. Applicants must submit a body of work for evaluation by an advisory committee as evidence of their knowledge and experience. Credentials are based on the knowledge, ethics, skills, and critical commitments that must be mobilized by community engagement professionals to advance higher education community and civic engagement in a manner characterized by equity and inclusion. Both Sweeney and Starr Fiedler earned the credential in September 2021.
There are currently eight micro-credentials available, with seven more in development. Individuals can become a Campus Compact Certified Community Engagement Professional by earning three core credentials (Community Engagement Fundamentals, Community Partnerships and Equity & Inclusion), three elective credentials and a brief personal statement.
Campus Compact is a national coalition that advances the public purpose of colleges and universities by deepening their ability to improve community life and to educate students for civic and social responsibility. Campus Compact envisions colleges and universities as vital agents and architects of a diverse democracy, committed to educating students for responsible citizenship in ways that both deepen their education and improve the quality of community life.