The University of New Mexico
EN-5: Civic Engagement

UNM has numerous programs that support civic engagement, with the Office of Community Engagement overseeing much of this campus-wide initiative. The Office of Community Engagement has recently grown out of the original Research Service Learning Program (RSLP) and the Community Engaged Learning & Research Program (CELR) that were based in University College. The Office of Community Engagement is “dedicated to fostering a dynamic and inclusive environment where civic partnerships, education and research inform our community engagement to create meaningful impact. Rooted in our commitment to serve and elevate our local and global communities, we champion active collaboration, innovative learning, and purpose-driven endeavors. By empowering our students, faculty, and staff to engage deeply with diverse communities, we strive to address pressing challenges, promote social equity, and co-create sustainable solutions. Through this integrative approach, we aim to cultivate responsible leaders, advance knowledge, and contribute to the holistic well-being of society.” 

The second annual UNM Community Engagement Symposium will take place in November 2024, and will highlight many of the outreach programs, service-learning projects, community-based participatory and collaborative research projects, public service activities, and other initiatives that contribute to community well-being and development. Attendance is estimated around 100-150 people. 

The UNM Community Engagement Center (CEC) was “formed in 1997 by faculty, staff, students, and community  members who wanted to better utilize university and community assets to meet community identified needs through education, community engagement and leadership development. CEC serves as a university-based intermediary with communities to implement community goals.” The CEC actively “nurture[s] a diverse leadership of the next generation of civically minded youth … for community capacity building” via Service Corps, Public Allies, Food Corps opportunities for undergraduate students. With over 20 active community partners, the CEC is estimated to place 20-40 students per academic year in service positions. 

Programs in the Anderson School of Management like the UNM Innovation Academy, Business for Good clinic, and Center for Responsible Entrepreneurship promote social entrepreneurship and responsible economic development via direct engagement with the local business community. A recent news article states that 2,000 students have engaged in the Innovation Academy since its inception in 2014, so here we estimate about 200 per year. 

The UNM School of Law was first in the country to include a mandatory public clinic in its curriculum; students and faculty provide clinical law services related to the natural resources and the environment, community lawyering, economic justice, child and family justice, and Southwest Indian law. Based on 2023-2024 enrollment, around 300 law school students participated in these public clinics.

The Refugee and Immigrant Wellbeing Project is an annual, 9-month long program pairing undergraduate students from the University of New Mexico with refugee and immigrant families in the mobilization of community resources and mutual learning. The project enrolls about 25-30 Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, and Honors students per academic year.

Numerous other departments and programs require students to engage in hands-on community-based service. For example, the Sustainability Studies Program requires 10-20 hours of service per student per class each semester. Typically 150-180 students are enrolled in these courses each semester. 

El Centro de la Raza aims to impact the transition, retention, and graduation of students through an engaging environment built on academic, cultural, personal and professional activities. In particular, the Transformar Mentorship Program is a unique program that encourages students to explore intercultural education, identity, danza, ceremonies, and special gatherings, through community-based approaches and interdisciplinary thinking. According to El Centro de la Raza, over 300 students participate in Raza Graduation each year.

Additionally, the UNM Student Activities Center and ASUNM Community Experience host a day of service during each semester: Fall Frenzy (200 students) and Spring Storm (300-400 students).

The full-time equivalent student enrollment in Fall 2023 for the Albuquerque Campus was 23,929 students. Based on the list of civic engagement programs above, which is by no means comprehensive, we conservatively estimate that close to 2,000 students, or about 8% of the total student body was actively involved in civic engagement activities. 

UNM has a paid time off policy that includes up to 24 hours per year of community engagement activities. The university policy states that: "UNM appreciates the diverse and widespread ways in which its employees provide service to the extended community. When employees engage in community service activities, they support the University’s efforts to be classified as a Community Engagement University by the Carnegie Foundation. UNM specifically supports raising money for United Way and encourages staff and faculty to volunteer for Big Brother, Big Sister. Other forms of community engagement leave may be used for organizations serving others on a local, national, or international level, whose goals are consistent with the University's mission. Political or religious activities, and social events, do not qualify for community engagement leave. This disqualification for religious activities is not intended to include the non-religious community outreach activities of religious organizations, such as distributing food for a local food bank." See: https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3300.html

University Policy 3300, Section 3.2 “Paid Time – Community Engagement” states that “Supervisors are encouraged to allow employees to use flexible schedules (see Section 3) for performing community engagement activities during normal work hours. Supervisors may limit such time away that falls during an employee’s regular work schedule, not to exceed twenty-four (24) hours in a calendar year. In the event of a conflict between community service activities and the business needs of a unit, the business needs take precedence.” https://policy.unm.edu/university-policies/3000/3300.html

In early 2024, co-conveners of the Just Transition Grand Challenge, Gabriel Sanchez (Professor, Political Science and Executive Director, Center for Social Policy) and Robert Delcampo (Professor of Management, Anderson School of Management and Executive Director, UNM Innovation Academy) hosted US Senator Martin Heinrich's staff alongside the lead staff of the Joint Economic Committee that the Senator chairs for a discussion of research focused on economic development, including workforce development in clean energy. The Senator's team and the Joint Economic Committee are interested in the Just Transition work in New Mexico and may utilize some of the findings to support federal legislation in this area.

Professor Gabriel Sanchez is a leading expert on Latino and New Mexico politics and policy, and a nationally recognized expert in survey research and the utilization of rigorous research to inform public policy decisions at the federal, state, and local levels. He has led several large-scale surveys, including the Latino Decisions National Poll on Health Care Reform, the Collaborative Multi-racial Post-election Study, and the recent National Latino Immigration and Health Survey. As a senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit organization with a mission to conduct in-depth, nonpartisan research to improve policy and governance at local, national, and global levels, Sanchez regularly contributes to public discourse on democracy, health, economics, education, justice, demographics, and politics. Sanchez has also co-written several expert witness reports utilized in voter ID and voting rights cases across the country.

The Nepal Study Center, led by Professor Alok Bohara in the Department of Economics, promotes research and policy debate among scholars who are interested in international development, environment, and global health in South Asia and the Himalayan region. The Nepal Study Center hosts the annual Himalayan Policy Research Conference, which covers issues of development, democracy, conflict, health, and the environment. The findings presented at these convenings are publicly accessible for policymakers to access.