Colin L. Powell Center
for Leadership and Service
Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where is the Center located?
The Colin L. Powell Center for Leadership and Service (formerly the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies) is located on the campus of the City College of New York. CCNY is situated in the historic Hamilton Heights section of Harlem in upper Manhattan. The Colin Powell Center is two blocks east of Broadway and is easily accessible by vehicle or mass transit (Directions).

2. Why is the Center named after General Colin Powell?
The Colin Powell Center is named in honor of General Colin L. Powell, distinguished graduate of the CCNY. General Powell is the Center's founder and advisory council chair, and he oversees the programs, policies, and strategic direction of the Colin Powell Center.

3. What is the purpose of the Colin Powell Center?
The Center provides leadership, service, and research opportunities for students; encourages faculty to apply their expertise to public problems; and fosters discussion of key challenges that affect communities in the United States and globally. 

4. What is the Center's mission?
Specifically, the Center's mission is to • prepare new generations of publicly engaged leaders from populations previously underrepresented in public service and to • build a strong culture of civic engagement at City College. The Center also • mobilizes campus resources to address community needs.  Key focus areas of the Center include community and economic development, education, the environment, health care, international development and global security issues.

5. How do I become a Colin Powell Center scholar or fellow?
Scholarships and fellowships of the Center are awarded on a competitive basis. The Colin Powell Center provides support through four main avenues. These are the Colin Powell Program in Leadership and Public Service, Partners for Change Fellowship program, Edward I. Koch Scholarship Program in Public Service, Community Engagement Fellowship program. Center programs are open to students in any CCNY school or department who meet the criteria of the particular program. Applications for the Edward I. Koch program are taken beginning in late fall; applications for the Center's other scholarship programs are accepted in the spring. More

6. What are the expectations for Colin Powell Leadership fellows?
Colin Powell leadership fellows undertake a demanding program of learning and service. Students accepted into the program must be prepared to structure their schedules around this program of activity. More

7. Whom should I contact with regard to scholarship and fellowship opportunities?
Colin Dixon, program coordinator for student leadership, 212-650-8446, cdixon@ccny.cuny.edu

8. Is it possible to be part of the Colin Powell Center Leadership seminars although I'm not a fellow?
Seminars for the Colin Powell Program in Leadership and Public Service are open only to students in the program. However the Center sponsors public events that are open to the public. To receive information about these events, join the Center's mailing list.

9. The Center supports service-learning; what is service-learning?
Service-learning is a teaching method that combines public service with academic study. In service-learning courses, faculty design community-based experiences for students that enhance students' understanding of academic subjects and develop students' commitment to civic engagement. In return, students provide meaningful service to community organizations.

10. How does the Colin Powell Center support faculty through service-learning?
The Center works to support faculty as they incorporate and sustain service-learning in their teaching and scholarship. Center strategies include financial support in the form of fellowships and grants; training in service-learning pedagogy; help in creating and sustaining meaningful community partnerships; and support for professional development and publishing. The Center also provides information on ways to effectively present service-learning in faculty portfolios and dossiers during the tenure and promotion process.

11. How does the Colin Powell Center work with community organizations?
The cornerstone of the Center's work with community organizations is through service-learning. Through service-learning, the Center harnesses the expertise of faculty, the energy of students, and the resources of the Center to enable community organizations to more effectively achieve their mission. To help community organizations get the most from service-learning, the Center offers regular introductory workshops to partnering organizations and agencies on service-learning pedagogy, best practices in community-based research, and community-campus partnerships.