CEI fosters an ecosystem of high impact engaged scholarship, civic and community engagement for the college, our university partners, community organizations and stakeholders across Morningside Heights, Harlem and neighborhoods across upper Manhattan as well as the city. CEI inspires a curiosity in civic participation with a commitment to tackling critical social justice issues locally, nationally and globally.

Community engagement from local to global prepares students for the world they will inherit, grounds research to address the critical issues facing society, and connects neighbors and external partners to the life and resources of the college.

CEI supports Barnard’s mission of providing education, engagement, and discovery, in a complex world of cultural difference, by providing students, faculty, and staff with meaningful opportunities to participate in the life of our city. To achieve this, we aim to:

• Create and develop a coordinated and comprehensive student community engagement experience at Barnard through innovative and inclusive programming 
• Leverage sustained, reciprocal relationships between key campus and community partners through a range of civic engagement programs, community based projects and skills development trainings
• Foster an engaged environment which welcomes mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources to advance the economic, social, and environmental well-being of our campus and community partners.