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The Center for Community Engaged Teaching and Research (CETR) emerged from a campus-wide listening process conducted by the Co-chairs of Pillar of the Community, the President's appointed committee to assess campus activities related to community engagement. As stated under Pillar of the Community in the Strategic Plan: 鈥淢utually informing and beneficial connections between the CSUDH campus and communities 鈥� local, global, and virtual 鈥� will be a fundamental strength and a crucial part of our work to facilitate pathways to success and socioeconomic mobility for students and to help our communities thrive.鈥� Read the CSUDH Strategic Plan.听听

This Committee鈥檚 charge coincided with the retirement of Cherryl McKnight, former Director of the Center for Service Learning, Internships, and Civic Engagement in July of 2023. Upon her retirement, Miami Gatpandan and Francisco Checkcinco were named Interim Co-Administrators, while Pillar鈥檚 Co-Chairs were asked to lead a project to re-envision the future of community engagement at CSUDH. The main findings from This process included a campus-wide survey, faculty focus groups, and a Toro-Hour presentation to share the findings from this process, including:听

• A lot of great CE activities are happening across campus, the majority of which are student-facing and/or not connected to teaching and research.听

• Faculty are requesting more support and resources to connect their teaching and research locally with community organizations, business, schools, and government, and with the international community.听

This led to the decision to restructure SLICE (a primarily student-facing center) into CETR (a primarily faculty-facing center). Dr Maria Avila, who had retired as Associate Professor of Social Work at CSUDH in 2022 was asked to come out of retirement to lead this process as CETR鈥檚 Interim Director. This job includes chairing the University Community Engaged Learning Committee, created in 2022 with the charge of creating a Community Engaged Learning (CEL) Designation. Avila has a long history as a community organizer in Mexico and in the US, of working in the field of community engagement in several academic institutions, and of sharing her work in various settings nationally and internationally. See campus-wide announcement of her hiring.

Maria鈥疉vila鈥檚 leadership marked a foundational phase in the institutional development of the Center for Engagement, Teaching, and Research (CETR). During her tenure as interim director, she completed the transition from SLICE to CETR, establishing the Center鈥檚 infrastructure, administrative systems, and physical presence on campus. She created a collaborative fellowship model that formally integrated faculty, students, and community partners into CETR鈥檚 work, embedding them into governance and programming, and implementing a multi-stakeholder approach to community engagement that reflects CETR鈥檚 core philosophy.听

Dr. Avila also advanced CETR鈥檚 academic and policy integration across the university. As chair of the University Community Engaged Learning Committee (UCELC), she aligned CETR鈥檚 implementation work with faculty governance, supported policy revisions, and听facilitated听progress toward the new community engaged learning (CEL) graduation requirement. She expanded faculty development opportunities through Faculty Learning Communities and workshops, clarified processes related to CEL course designations and the Chancellor鈥檚 Office Community Engaged Learning Tool (CELT), and committed the campus to increased compliance and reporting. She also strengthened systems for vetting community partnerships in coordination with Contracts and Risk Management, helping ensure that CETR鈥檚 growth aligned with evolving CSU policies.听

Dr. Avila safeguarded CETR鈥檚 financial and strategic stability during a transitional period. She听submitted听the 2025鈥�26 Statement of Intent to the CSU Center for Community Engagement, securing provisional funding despite reduced allocations and leadership transitions. She oversaw the College Corps grant and positioned CETR within regional and national engagement networks through conference participation and organizational memberships. Collectively, her work听represents听a period of structural consolidation, intellectual leadership, and strategic positioning that laid the groundwork for CETR鈥檚 continued institutional growth.