The Colin L.

Powell Center for Leadership and Service at the City College of New
York (CCNY) is a nonpartisan educational, training, and research center named for
its founder, General Colin L. Powell, USA (Retired), a graduate of CCNY. The goals
of the center are to build leaders for the common good, promote civic engagement,
and strengthen connections between the campus and neighboring communities.

The Center is located at 160 Convent Avenue, on the fifth floor of Shepard Hall on
the CCNY campus, in the Hamilton Heights section of West Harlem.

Contents [hide]
1 Mission
2 History
3 Service-Learning
4 NYMAPS
5 Fellowships and Scholarships
5.1 Colin Powell Program in Leadership and Service
5.2 Partners for Change Fellowship Program
5.3 Community Engagement Fellowships Program
5.4 Edward I. Koch Scholarship Program
6 Research
7 Advisory Council
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
Mission[edit]
The Center's mission is to prepare new generations of publicly engaged leaders from
populations previously underrepresented in public service and policy circles, to
build a strong culture of civic engagement at City College, and to mobilize campus
resources to meet pressing community needs and serve the public good. The Center
focuses its efforts in areas of community and economic development, education,
health care, environmental concerns, international development, and global security
issues.[1]

The Colin Powell Center works to forward the mission of the City College, which was
founded in 1847 as the nation's first public higher education institution: to
provide an affordable, world class education to �the children of the whole people,"
regardless of race, creed, class or economic status.[2] The Center works with
faculty and students to integrate its vision of leadership and service-oriented
education in courses and research, and to act as a bridge between academia and the
world of policy making.[3]

History[edit]
General Powell, who graduated from the City College in 1958, established the Center
in 1997 as the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies. Its original mission was to
provide a base for the study of social and economic forces and conditions that
impact New York City, by encouraging students and faculty to engage and partner
with community organizations.[4]

Over the years, the Center's mission expanded to forward more fully the goals and
vision of General Powell: to develop leadership skills and encourage service-
learning and to address five key outcome areas: international development and
global security, education, the environment, community and economic development,
and health.

The name was changed to the Colin L. Powell Center for Leadership and Service in
2011 to reflect the shift toward this greater and more dynamic mission.[5]

Service-Learning[edit]
The Colin Powell Center serves as the CCNY hub for service-learning, a course-
based, credit-bearing educational approach that links academic theory to concrete
action. The pedagogy connects students, faculty and community partners through
sustained relationships that build the capacity of those organizations, and gives
students a practical perspective on classroom lessons as well as the opportunity to
perform valuable service that addresses real needs.[6]

The Center works with the College to embed these concepts as an essential part of
curricula. Since the inception of the service-learning program in 2005, more than
1,000 CCNY students have enrolled in these courses, providing over 25,000 hours of
service to more than 50 nonprofit community organizations. Their work includes
providing tutoring to East Harlem students, creating a media campaign for the New
York Organ Donor Network, and working with the International Rescue Committee.
Learning from the leaders and members of the organizations with which they work
adds an indispensable perspective to the students' educations.

NYMAPS[edit]
The Center leads the New York Metro Area Partnership for Service-Learning (NYMAPS),
a coalition of more than 18 universities, colleges and community-based
organizations that promotes experiential learning, active citizenship, and social
responsibility among college students and faculty. Established in 2006, NYMAPS
hosts an annual symposium, organized by the Center, that brings members together to
report on their activities and results.[7]

NYMAPS member organizations include Columbia University, Fordham University, New

York University, the International YMCA and University Settlement.

Fellowships and Scholarships[edit]

The Center operates a wide range of fellowship and scholarship programs for
students. In 2012-2013, it will provide $690,000 of scholarship and internship
support to 80 fellows.

Colin Powell Program in Leadership and Service[edit]

This two-year (one year for graduate students) program is designed for high
achieving City College students of any CCNY major, program, or school. The program
provides between $10,000 and $12,000 annually for two years for undergraduates, and
a $15,000 stipend for graduate students. Fellows participate in specialized
workshops, seminars, and mentoring. They become integrally involved in the Center�s
activities and have the opportunity to participate in unique optional activities.

Current fellows have been awarded the prestigious Harry S. Truman Fellowship for
Public Service[8] and secured internships at the Council on Foreign Relations,[9]
the Ocean Alliance, and the office of the Attorney General, among other notable
establishments. Ninety percent of program alumni have gone on to careers in public
service and public policy, at organizations such as the Department of Defense, the
DELTA Enterprise Network, the Social Science Research Council, and the U.S. General
Services Administration.

Many alumni pursue graduate studies, and have studied at Harvard University,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, the School of Foreign
Service at Georgetown University and other leading institutions. In 2011, the
Center received a record number of applications for fellowships.

Fellows in the Leadership and Service program are eligible for one of five
scholarships:

Ambassador John Price Scholarship is a one-year scholarship which provides $10,000

in support to a CCNY student whose academic interest focuses on a country or
countries in Africa or on the Africa Diaspora.
Fulvio Dobrich New Americans Scholarships are targeted toward first- and second-
generation immigrants and are designed to extend the City College's historic
mission of supporting new immigrants in New York City. The award was established in
2006 by Fulvio Dobrich, managing partner of Galileo Asset Management and a Colin
Powell Center advisory council member.
New York Life Fellowships and Scholarships for Emerging African-American Issues for
both the graduate and undergraduate students focus on the study and understanding
of African-American and other minority perspectives on a broad set of public
problems and policy issues.[10][11] Graduate students receive $15,000 for the one-
year program and participate in the Colin Powell Program in Leadership and Public
Service, which includes mentoring, instruction and opportunities to develop the
public and policy implications of their graduate research. Undergraduates are given
$10,000 for each of two years and participate in the Colin Powell Program in
Leadership and Public Service.[12] These programs are supported through the New
York Life Endowment for Emerging African-American Issues, established in 2006 with
a $10 million grant from New York Life.
Korean Heritage Scholarship supports Korean language instruction to prepare
students for participation in the Colin Powell Leadership Program.
Colin Powell Leadership Fellowship is designed for students who do not receive one
of the other four scholarships.
Partners for Change Fellowship Program[edit]
Fellows of the Partners for Change Fellowship Program are awarded $5,000 for the
one-year program, inaugurated in 2011-2012. They engage in research in the field,
advocacy, and service with a community organization. Fellows work in one of two
areas: college access for Harlem residents or improving health care in Harlem and
the South Bronx. Starting in 2012-2013, an environmental initiative will be added.

Community Engagement Fellowships Program[edit]

Community Engagement Fellows design and carry out a project that addresses
community needs in a sustainable way. Projects generally concentrate on the
Center's priority areas: international development and security, community and
economic development, education, the environment, and health.[13]

Edward I. Koch Scholarship Program[edit]

Students who receive the Edward I. Koch Scholarship receive $5,000 of financial
support and devote 200 or more hours of service each year to nonprofit
organizations and government agencies throughout New York City. The scholarship is
named for former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, a graduate of the City College of New
York. Fellows also participate in workshops and discussions that enhance their
ability to engage communities in meaningful ways and that provide opportunities for
leadership development, reflection and engaged learning.[14]

Research[edit]
The Center works to encourage community-based participatory research, a
collaborative approach through which academics work closely with members of
community-based organizations on research to solve a pressing community problem or
to address policy change. CCNY faculty are eligible for the Center's Community-
Based Participatory Research Grant Program.

Additionally, faculty are eligible for the Center's Public Scholarship Program,
designed to enable faculty to apply their expertise and research to advocate for
public policy change or to shape the public debate in their field.

CCNY Professor Jean Krasno, the Center's initiative director for multilateral
diplomacy and international organizations, recently led an effort to publish the
collected papers of former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. The six-
year joint CCNY-Yale University project produced a five-volume set that contributes
an organized historical record of Annan's selected public and declassified papers,
and makes the breadth and depth of his work accessible to scholars, students, and
policymakers.[15]
Advisory Council[edit]
The Center's advisory council, chaired by Colin Powell, is a noteworthy group of
public figures, former government officials, business leaders, writers, and
journalists, including:

Madeleine K. Albright
Tom Brokaw
Carly Fiorina
Richard N. Haass
Henry A. Kissinger
Sy Sternberg
Barbara Walters
Elie Wiesel
Fareed Zakaria