Our year in Civic Engagement: 2025-26
We have so much to celebrate from the past year! Click through the sections below to learn more about what this fantastic community has accomplished.
This Year's Highlights
By the end of this Academic Year, The Lindy Center will have offered 68 sections of CIVC 101, reaching nearly 2,400 students. This work would not be possible without the incredible team of adjunct instructors and undergraduate Course Assistants who facilitate these classes with genuine care for students and dedication to the course materials. We also launched a new website to showcase social issue projects completed by students in CIVC 101.
We are also proud of the many Community-Based Learning courses offered throughout the University this past year and the faculty and community partners who make these experiences deep and meaningful for students. Courses included: Identity and Narrative in Africa with Dr. Parfait Kouacou, Prison, Society, and You with Dr. Cyndi Rickards, Philadelphia, Garden City with Dr. Steve Dolph, Writers Room Experience through our colleagues at the Writers Room, and side-by-side courses Critical Reasoning taught by Dr. Stacey Ake and Civic Engagement and Participatory Methods co-taught by Dr. Andrew Zitcer and Susanna Gilbertson (both at the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships).
We were excited to celebrate the many scholarly and civic accomplishments of engaged faculty this year. Andrew Zitcer and Susanna Gilbertson had a piece in Next City about their Civic Engagement and Participatory Methods course mentioned above: . is about the work of 4 current and former Drexel scholars, Helen Teng, Annette Gadegbeku, Loretta Jemmott, and Monica Harmon, who engage with the community through the Community Wellness HUB at the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships. Parfait Kouacou published a chapter in the recently published book about his community-engaged class that connects students learning French with the West African community in Philly. Gwen Ottinger published a new book, 鈥溾�� and presented at an event in April through Drexel鈥檚 Center for Science, Technology, and Society. Two engaged faculty members also received grants for their work this past year: Steve Dolph (along with student contributor Victoria Rodriguez Villareal) got funding from the and the Lindy Center for 鈥淎 Culinary Archive of the Americas,鈥� an ongoing project and summer course that brings together students and community members for bilingual Spanish-English workshops on ancestral, Mexican and Central American culinary practices. Glen Muschio received a grant for an event that will bring together students and community members to learn about the history of the Black Bottom, through stories from former residents and immersive 3D models that have been developed with the help of students over the past several years. Finally, Alberto Morales shared a bit about his experience as a Fellow in the in .
We are grateful for ongoing partnerships with many campus offices. Currently we have a fruitful partnership with the Teaching and Learning Center to ensure Community-Based Learning pedagogy is included in faculty trainings and course development resources, especially around course redesign with the upcoming Academic Transformation. We also continue our long-time partnership with the Pennoni Honors College to create new curriculum for CIVC 101 and new CBL courses, and we look forward to working with them over the summer to codify CBL as an academic pillar within their college.
Drexel is looking forward to Academic Transformation and we are engaged in efforts to ensure civic engagement is infused into the curriculum even through this major change. We have been active in shaping EXP1001, a new 3-credit course that will replace the current 1-credit, first-year courses UNIV 101, CIVC 101, and COOP 101 and we have been working with the Honors College and faculty to lay the groundwork for Community-Based Learning courses that will fulfill Core Competency and Experiential Learning requirements under the new academic structure.
"Bridging Voter Outreach Through Empowerment & Stewardship" is a civic dialogue series centered on community voices, student leadership, and increasing voter engagement through education and discussion. Bridging VOTES is a collaboration between the Lindy Center and Drexel鈥檚 Undergraduate Student Government Association that aims to bridge the political silos that students, residents and faculty may default to by bringing these voices together to foster mutual understanding and collective public problem solving. This program is made possible through a grant from the William Penn Foundation in November 2025 and will run through May 2027.
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Members in our AmeriCorps Nonprofit Coop program:
- Piloted and led both virtual and in person showcases to highlight service to career pathways
- Participated in professional development series provided and led by UCP staff
- Served as team leaders for the Lindy Center and University & Community Partnerships' MLK Day of Service
In the past year, there were 29 members enrolled across 12 organizations throughout the city. The program also welcomed a new host site partner: Job Works Education and Training. To date, members in the coop program have completed 15,000 + hours in service and training combined.
Major Service Projects
For Martin Luther King Day of Service in 2026, the Lindy Center organized an on-campus service activity where over 200 students participated to pack 1000 blessings bags for Angels in Motion, 400 appreciation bags for local teachers and administrators at Lindy Scholar partner schools, and 100 after school supply kits for US Dream Academy. We also hosted educational and reflective events around MLK's legacy and the Civil Rights Movement, including a storytelling presentation with a community member who organized during the Movement, Mr. Norman Cain, and a partnership with the Library and Archives that brought archived articles from past Drexel Triangles related to the Civil Rights Movement to the event.
For Greek Week, the Lindy Center partnered with Fraternity and Sorority Life to host their first ever Greek Week service project focused on supporting elementary-age students in K-3 years. Students in nearby elementary schools received summer reading packs full of materials to aid in their reading and literacy development over the summer months, reducing summer slide.
We also participated in the University-Wide "Civic Engagement Day" as part of the inauguration of Drexel's new president Antonio Merlo.
Student Organization Partnerships
In Fall 2025, the Lindy Center created a Teams classroom to streamline communication and increase engagement between and among student organizations and the Lindy Center. This Team acts as a hub of collaboration and promotion both with the Lindy Center and other civically engaged student organizations.
We consistently engage with 16 student organizations through a partnership program: AAEES, Circle K, DUSGO, DBGSU, DUG, Engineers without Borders, LUC, Medlife, MENA, NAACP, Panhellenic Council, Phi Sigma Pi, SHARP, Sharing Excess, Women in Business, USGA. Partner organizations are given special access to a number of Lindy Center resources including the ability to reserve our space for events (including evenings and weekends), inclusion of content in biweekly newsletter and/or social media, support and guidance provided by Lindy staff partner as needed.
ACE grant
Now in it's 5th year, our mini-grant program continues supporting student-led civic engagement projects that align with the Lindy Center's values of informed engagement, collectivity, focus on process and relationships, and efforts to address social issues both in the short- and long-term. This year we received our highest number of applications yet, 25, and were able to support 9 of the applicant projects, detailed on this site.
Events at the Lindy Center
We work with student organizations and community organizations to host civic-related events at the Center and we are proud of many of the events we hosted this year. Some specific highlights include a teach-in about Immigration and Customs Enforcement, meetings and events for students working with an organization called Sustainable and Just Futures, and several Talking Tuesday events led by student orgs such as the Drexel Peer Counselors, Women in Business, and MEDLIFE.
Another event highlight is two "" community dialogue events hosted in collaboration with the Undergraduate Student Government Association. "Can We Talk?" events this year centered on the topics of Gen Z Mental Health, and the 250 anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, respectively. “Can We Talk?” is an initiative of Committee of 70 focused on promoting productive civic dialogue across differences. from 6ABC showcases the program and features the Lindy Center as the host site.