COPC Mission & Goals
Successful community building begins with investing in people and their dreams, developing bonds of trust, and nurturing leadership. We welcome your participation and support.
Mission
COPC Faculty Advisor Kristen Day
Initiated in 2001, the Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) builds bridges between UCI and local communities. We harness university resources—faculty, student, and institutional—to help address key challenges in our region. COPC projects are guided by our commitment to “community engagement. ” We use applied research, training and instruction, and outreach to help build and sustain healthy communities.
Through COPC, UCI faculty and students work together with local organizations on projects that improve neighborhood safety, strengthen community bonds, support grassroots leadership development, and encourage greater civic participation. Our goal is to connect the research, teaching, and learning activities at UCI and in the School of Social Ecology to the “community knowledge” of local organizations.
Goals
- SUPPORT community initiatives by engaging UCI students, faculty, and staff in field study, applied research, outreach and related activities.
- REINFORCE COPC's relationship with the surrounding community.
- EMPOWER community members to become active stakeholders in their neighborhoods.
Organization
On the UCI campus, COPC is based in UCI’s interdisciplinary School of Social Ecology. The School of Social Ecology has an international reputation for its innovative approach to research, field study and community outreach, and for its creative application of theory and research to real world problem solving. Faculty and students who participate in COPC activities share a commitment to teaching and applied research that makes a difference in the world. COPC helps to coordinate activities between UCI and the community by serving as a “portal” to the campus for residents and community groups.
students and faculty an improved
understanding of local issues and concerns
- Research projects are conducted by UCI faculty and students on issues of importance to community partners. These studies produce information that is useful to the community and that advances scholarly knowledge.
- Teaching projects engage UCI students as groups and individuals to enhance students’ knowledge while addressing issues of top priority to community partners. Teaching projects allow UCI students to apply what they learn in the classroom to the "real world," thus engaging students and promoting deeper understanding of community issues.
- Outreach projects harness UCI resources to more directly engage the public. Examples of this work include conferences, lectures, etc.