OCEL’s Summer in Review
For OCEL, summer is time for innovation, professional development and preparation for the school year ahead.
Here are some highlights:
- OCEL Engagement Strategist Elspeth Muzzin taught a SURE Professional Development session on “Ethically Entering Communities.” OCEL’s Outreach and Engagement Specialist Molly Manley and Muzzin will serve as judges at the SURE Showcase in September. OCEL loves student research!
- Manley gave important presentations to campus leadership about OCEL’s community engagement database Collaboratory.
- Muzzin attended Eliminating Racism and Creating/Celebrating Equality’s three-day “Understanding and Analyzing Systemic Racism” training, thanks to the U-M Career Development Fund for Staff.
- OCEL had their annual staff retreat — with special guests Provost Ghassan Kridli and Office of the Provost Special Projects Manager McKenna Maurino — and discussed renewing energy around strategic partnerships and reporting.
What’s Ahead in Engagement on Campus
This academic year, OCEL staff plans to leverage the great momentum they’ve built over the past few years by:
- Encouraging use of OCEL’s community engagement database Collaboratory
- Getting more courses into their Community Connection and Community Engaged attributes
- Facilitating more workshops in CC and CE courses
- Bringing more people to the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities annual conference
- Receiving notification of UM-Dearborn’s Carnegie Engaged Campus status in January 2026
- Innovating new ways to bring faculty, units and community partners together.
Stay tuned for more!
