Connecting People & Projects

Connecting Changemakers through Scholar Shop

Want to address issues in your community but not sure where to start? Scholar Shop is a program that connects DU students, faculty, and staff with community organizations to collaborate on projects that address community-identified interests/issues. Projects have ranged across topics, spanning from education equity to civic engagement, sustainability, STEM access, and beyond.

How Does it Work?

Whether you’re a community organization, student, faculty or staff member, once you express interest in a Scholar Shop collaboration we’ll work with you to fine-tune your project ideas, goals, and timeline. We'll then identify and connect you to those whose interests align and have relevant experience for the collaboration. Once a team has been "matched," the work can begin! Please note, Scholar Shop does not match organizations with volunteers to complete community service. If you are looking for student volunteers, please post on the University of Denver Volunteer Base instead.

Scholar Shop Information

To see current community partners and projects, check out the Community Partner List below

 

Getting Started

 

Assembly of the Team

• For Community Organizations

  To begin, community organizations complete a brief Scholar Shop Interest Form. Once received, we'll work with you to fine-tune project ideas and identify relevant students and faculty for potential collaboration. If this is your first time, we’ll create a profile for your organization on the Community Partner List which will be shared with and displayed to the DU community.

• For Students

  Whether you’ve found an organization on the Community Partner List you’d like to connect with or you’re just exploring possibilities, send an email to ccesl@du.edu to get started. 

  Please Note: student-led projects are typically linked to an academic requirement and mentored by a faculty advisor.

• For Faculty

  Whether you’re exploring collaboration possibilities, seeking community partners for your class, or you’ve found an organization on the Community Partner List you’d like to connect with, please send an email to ccesl@du.edu to get started.

 

Project Procedures

• Planning the Project

  After you’ve been connected, in order to encourage careful planning in all collaborations, student-led Scholar Shop projects require the development of a Scholar Shop Project Plan Form which includes a timeline and projected outcomes, made in collaboration with those involved.   

• Doing the Project

  Those involved are responsible for carrying out the project as planned. The Scholar Shop Coordinator will check in periodically and can provide additional support based on project needs.

• Monitoring Project Results and Impact

  At the close of each collaboration, the DU team members must deliver the project or research to the community organization. We love to hear about successful Scholar Shop projects and highlight them in our monthly newsletter, the Public Good Impact, so we encourage the community organization, student, and/or faculty member to submit a short 300-500 word article. It also greatly helps future Scholar Shop collaborations.

 

Funding & Support

• For Students

  Students may apply for funding to support project-related costs through the Advancing Community-Engaged (ACE) Student Scholarship Grant. Applications are reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Additionally, undergraduate students may be eligible to apply for funding from the Undergraduate Research Center (URC) through the Partners in Scholarship (PinS) program (see Undergraduate Research Center Funding Opportunities). 

  Students participating in Scholar Shop projects will have access to a variety of support to aid with successful completion of the project. For more information about this support, ask us!

• For Faculty

  For faculty-led projects, faculty may be eligible to apply for the Public Good Fund (for faculty research and/or creative work) or Community-Engaged Teaching Funding Learning (for courses).