CMU students visit with a long-time resident in the Larimer neighborhood community during Pittsburgh Alternative Break.
Student Community Engagement
Community engagement is a powerful part of the student experience, helping them clarify their values, meaningfully contribute to the communities and causes they care about, and providing opportunities to leverage their academic expertise and career interests in service to society. Along the way, students develop connections to both ‘people’ and ‘place’ through shared experiences and a passion for creating a better future.
Whether you are seeking an opportunity to learn more about the needs and opportunities here in Pittsburgh, want to consistently contribute to a local non-profit organization, or are ready to lead your peers in facilitating social change, you’re in the right place! We can connect you, advise you, and support you in your community engagement journey.
Institutional Commitment: James and Sharon Rohr Director of Community Engagement
James E. Rohr, former chair of the CMU Board of Trustees, and Sharon Rohr established the role of Director of Community Engagement at Carnegie Mellon in September 2019 with the ambition to have every CMU student contribute and learn from meaningful community engagement experiences in order to become a more effective community-minded leader, solving real-world problems while advancing their personal development.
The vision of the directorship is meaningful community engagement opportunities for every CMU student that will anchor and define their time on campus.
Establishing community engagement as a foundational part of undergraduate and graduate students’ experiences requires increasing the ease and accessibility for students as they seek out a wide range of community engagement experiences; strengthening the network of staff and faculty invested in and contributing to student community engagement efforts across campus; deepening our partnership with community organizations; and delivering experiences that help students journey from initial interest through deepened commitment to leadership roles.
In 2025, the university’s updated Strategic Framework doubles down on the importance of community engagement as a means to invest in our communities through the plan’s “A Vibrant and Engaged Global Community” pillar.
Elizabeth Vaughan, associate dean of Student Affairs and director of Community Engagement and Leadership Development, is the inaugural recipient of the James and Sharon Rohr Director of Community Engagement.