Goldfarb Center For Public Affairs and Civic Engagement

Colby students, faculty, and alumni have a long history of engagement in the local community, on the national stage, and throughout the world. The Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement, established at Colby in 2003, has organized and focused Colby’s efforts to foster active citizenship at all levels and has launched important new initiatives for capitalizing on Colby’s strengths in these areas.

The Goldfarb Center connects teaching and research with current political, economic, and social issues. Building on Colby’s established strengths in the social sciences and interdisciplinary programs, the center provides a structure and a setting in which faculty and students can develop creative, interdisciplinary approaches to complex local, national, and global challenges. Students are actively involved in all aspects of center activities—as research assistants, conference planners, and presenters as well as participants in center-sponsored events. The Goldfarb Center will be housed in the new Diamond Building, scheduled to open during the 2006-07 academic year.

The Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement was established to:

• serve as a forum for intellectual exchange and collaboration among Colby faculty, students, and visiting scholars
• build ties within the community, foster active learning opportunities for students, and create research opportunities for faculty
• develop and support internships and research projects that allow students to expand their learning opportunities beyond the classroom
• support faculty in developing academically rigorous civic-engagement courses that enhance student learning and benefit the community
• sponsor lectures, seminars, and colloquia for the Colby community and the residents of Central Maine.

Volunteer programs operating within the Goldfarb Center include Colby Cares About Kids and the Colby Volunteer Center. In 2004-05 Colby Cares About Kids matched more than 200 Colby mentors with schoolchildren from Waterville and surrounding towns. The Colby Volunteer Center involved 434 Colby students who helped out at 24 area organizations and programs.