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Signature Programs

The Lang Center’s signature programs and initiatives forge connections between the College’s liberal arts curriculum—teaching as well as research—and community partners near and far, for mutually rewarding collaborations on “our most pressing social, civic, and ethical problems” (Boyer 1996). The term “signature programs'' refers to ongoing Lang Center initiatives that advance Engaged Scholarship goals and unite communities of scholars, practitioners, and other constituencies who collaborate for positive social change. The Lang Center continues to hold as a priority cultivating relationships with organizations, institutions, stakeholders, and individuals that can help us meet our mission and broader Engaged Scholarship goals.

Signature Programs

Colab

Colab

The mission of the CoLab is to foster community-led collaborative action with Swarthmore College’s local and global community partners. We value ethical engagement, campus-community reciprocity, social justice and innovation, and shared responsibility. 

CoLab
Engaged Humanities Studio

Engaged Humanities Studio

EHS focuses on experiential, community-based, and critical-making practices that combine humanistic modes of inquiry and understanding with extra-humanities disciplines, non-student communities, and/or pressing social issues that would benefit from humanistic perspectives. 

Engaged Humanities Studio
Lang Opportunity Scholarship Program

Lang Opportunity Scholarship Program

The Lang Opportunity Scholarship (LOS) Program each year selects members of Swarthmore’s sophomore class as Lang Scholars. Selection criteria include distinguished academic and co-curricular achievement, leadership qualities, and demonstrated commitment to civic and social responsibility.

Lang Opportunity Scholarship Program
Lang Social Impact Fellowship

Lang Social Impact Fellowship

The intention of this post baccalaureate program is to empower recent alumni to continue their projects by engaging stakeholders in systems change activities. Key features of LSIF include: mentoring, training, and funding.

Lang Social Impact Fellowship
Headshots of the first Civic Scholars cohort.

Swarthmore Civic Scholars

The Civic Scholars program seeks to open new pathways for communities and campus to engage with each other, enhance networks (social capital) of students and community members beyond Swarthmore College, and increase capacity of both students and communities to achieve their civic and social responsibility goals. To that end, this program provides students with mentoring, education, training, and funding over multiple years. 

Swarthmore Civic Scholars
Chester Community Fellows (CCF) having a discussion with Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL) chairperson Zulene Mayfield.

Chester Community Fellowship

The Chester Community Fellowship (CCF) enhances the capacity of Chester-based community organizations while providing opportunities for student learning.

Chester Community Fellowship