Einhorn Center for Community Engagement at Cornell

What Einhorn Center for Community Engagement at Cornell does

The Einhorn Center for Community Engagement is a non-profit academic center within Cornell University that serves as the central coordinating hub for community-engaged learning (CEL) across the institution. Established through philanthropy and named after David M. Einhorn, the center traces its roots to the former Public Service Center and operates from 300 Kennedy Hall on Cornell's Ithaca, NY campus. It serves four primary constituencies: Cornell students (9,000+ enrolled in CEL courses, 2,700+ participating in center programs), 224 Engaged Faculty Fellows across the university, alumni, and 30+ community partner organizations. 73% of the Class of 2025 had a CEL experience, and CEL course offerings have grown 174% since 2015.

The center's portfolio spans a set of educational programs and services rather than a single software product. Core offerings include the CEL Online Program (a five-course series CU201-CU205 delivered via the eCornell learning management system, awarding a Recognition of Achievement credential), Engaged Faculty Workshops, the Engaged Speaker Series, the Community Work-Study Program (CWSP) placing students with local nonprofits and municipalities using federal work-study funds, the POST pre-orientation service trip, and funding mechanisms including the Robinson-Appel Humanitarian Award and Engaged Opportunity Grants of up to $5,000. The center supports 13 affiliated student organizations and runs the university-wide Engaged College Initiative spanning seven Cornell colleges (Agriculture and Life Sciences, Architecture Art and Planning, Human Ecology, ILR, SC Johnson College of Business, Engineering, and Brooks Public Policy). No proprietary technology platform is operated; the center relies on the eCornell LMS for online delivery.

The center is funded through Cornell University's institutional budget allocations and philanthropic contributions from alumni, parents, and friends, including cash, securities, stock, mutual fund shares, bonds, and bequests, with company matching available. The CEL Online Program is free for Cornell faculty, staff, and teaching assistants, while a paid version is offered externally through eCornell. The center is led by Executive Director Basil Safi, who brings 20+ years of public health and community-engaged learning experience, including a decade at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the launch of five grassroots organizations partnering with universities. The Einhorn Center does not operate as a commercial entity and has no external investors or shareholders; it functions as part of Cornell's academic mission.

Name

Einhorn Center for Community Engagement at Cornell

Legal name

David M. Einhorn Center for Community Engagement at Cornell University

Website

https://einhorn.cornell.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Einhorn Center for Community Engagement is a Cornell University non-profit center coordinating community-engaged learning across seven colleges, serving 9,000+ students, 224 faculty fellows, and 30+ community organizations through courses, work-study, grants, and speaker programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Community Engagement Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Support & Learning Assistance (Tutoring Centers) (EDALABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB)

Keywords

• Community-engaged learning
• Service-learning programs
• Experiential higher education
• University community partnerships
• Civic engagement education

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: As a Cornell University center, the Einhorn Center is funded through Cornell University's institutional budget allocations and operates as a non-profit educational initiative.
2. Donations and Gifts: The center accepts tax-deductible gifts from alumni, parents, and friends. Multi-year gifts are noted as an important source of support. Cornell University accepts gifts of cash, securities, stock, mutual fund shares, bonds, and bequests. Company matching is also available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Einhorn Center serves as Cornell University's central hub for community-engaged learning, delivering a portfolio of programs that connect students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners. Core offerings include the CEL Online Program (CU201-CU205) for faculty, faculty workshops and a speaker series, the Community Work-Study Program linking students with community organizations, funding awards and grants, support for 13 student organizations, and the Engaged College Initiative integrating CEL across seven Cornell colleges.

Product overview

The Einhorn Center for Community Engagement is a university department that serves as the central hub for community-engaged learning (CEL) at Cornell University. Rather than a single software product, the Center offers a portfolio of educational programs and services including: the CEL Online Program (delivered through eCornell with five self-paced courses for faculty), Engaged Faculty Workshops and Speaker Series for professional development, the Community Work-Study Program connecting students with community organizations, various funding mechanisms (Robinson-Appel Humanitarian Awards, Engaged Opportunity Grants up to $5,000), and support for 13 student organizations. The Center also manages the Engaged College Initiative spanning seven Cornell colleges, integrating CEL into curricula across the university. Programs serve students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners through courses, co-curricular activities, employment opportunities, and events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) Online Program A series of five self-paced, virtual courses (CU201-CU205) delivered through eCornell that help Cornell faculty and staff incorporate community-engaged learning into their curriculum or programs. Faculty who complete all five courses earn a Recognition of Achievement credential.
• Engaged Faculty Workshops Professional development workshops that provide hands-on training on integrating community-engaged learning tools into CEL classes, projects, and programs. Covers topics including cultural humility, partnership building, critical reflection, and leadership cultivation.
• Engaged Speaker Series A speaker series that invites visiting scholars, Cornell faculty, staff, community partners, alumni, and students to learn with and from one another to advance understanding of community engagement. Co-sponsored by the Center for Teaching Innovation.
• Engaged Publication Talks A showcase series that celebrates the publication success of faculty and staff committed to community-engaged learning, providing opportunities to learn about engaged publication processes and scholarly engagement pathways.
• Community Work-Study Program (CWSP) A program enabling students to work with community organizations using their federal work-study funding. Students are placed with local nonprofits, schools, and municipalities to support community engagement projects.
• POST Pre-Orientation Service Trip A pre-orientation service trip for incoming Cornell students that introduces them to community engagement and service learning before the academic year begins.
• Robinson-Appel Humanitarian Award An award supporting student humanitarian projects that address health disparities and improve access to healthcare for underserved communities. Recipients receive funding to launch and expand community-engaged initiatives.
• Engaged Opportunity Grants Grants of up to $5,000 for faculty and students to support community-engaged learning projects, courses, and partnerships. Funds collaborative projects that connect academic learning with community impact.
• Einhorn Center Student Organizations A network of 13 student organizations facilitated by the Einhorn Center that engage in community service, advocacy, and partnership with local organizations across topics including education, health, environment, and social justice.
• Engaged College Initiative A university-wide initiative integrating community-engaged learning into seven Cornell colleges through their curricular, co-curricular, and research programs. Partner colleges include Agriculture and Life Sciences, Architecture Art and Planning, Human Ecology, ILR, SC Johnson Business, Engineering, and Public Policy.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner college in the Engaged College Initiative, integrating community-engaged learning into curricular and co-curricular programs.
• Cornell Brooks School of Public PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner college in the Engaged College Initiative, advancing community-engaged learning in public policy contexts.
• College of Human EcologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner college in the Engaged College Initiative, incorporating community-engaged learning across health, human development, and environmental sustainability programs.
• School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school in the Engaged College Initiative, focused on labor relations, workplace issues, and community engagement.
• Cornell SC Johnson College of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner college in the Engaged College Initiative, integrating community engagement into business education.
• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner college in the Engaged College Initiative, advancing community-engaged learning in food systems, sustainability, and agricultural sciences.
• College of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner college in the Engaged College Initiative, connecting engineering design with community-identified needs through programs like the Kaplan Fellowship.
• Center for Teaching InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the Engaged Speaker Series, providing collaborative support for teaching excellence in community-engaged learning.
• Community Work-Study Program Community PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner30+ community organizations that employ students through the Community Work-Study Program, providing real-world work experience in exchange for student talent.
• Prisoner ExpressminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization based at the Durland Alternatives Library that connects incarcerated individuals with educational resources through CWSP student support.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• eCornell: Cornell's online learning platform used by the Einhorn Center to deliver the CEL Online Program. Comparable as the technology delivery layer for the center's credentialed courses, though serving a much broader adult professional learner audience.

Broad incumbents

• Bonner Foundation: National network funding student service and community engagement programs across hundreds of colleges. Broader-incumbent peer providing infrastructure (fellowships, training) that overlaps with the Einhorn Center's CEL and student fellowship programming.
• Campus Compact: National coalition of colleges and universities advancing civic and community engagement in higher education. Industry-level peer whose mission and resource ecosystem closely aligns with the Einhorn Center's CEL advocacy and capacity-building work.

Direct peers

• Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University: Tufts' university-wide center for civic engagement, service learning, and community partnerships. Closely mirrors the Einhorn Center in embedding CEL into curricula, supporting faculty fellows, and running community-based research and programs.
• Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford: Stanford's hub for community-engaged learning, public service fellowships, and student service programs. Directly comparable to the Einhorn Center as a university-wide office supporting CEL, service learning, and community partnerships across academic departments.
• Pace Center for Civic Engagement at Princeton: Princeton's center for civic engagement and service, supporting community-engaged learning, fellowships, and student-led service programs. Functionally analogous to the Einhorn Center as a central CEL hub within an Ivy League institution.
• Center for Social Justice at Georgetown: Georgetown's university-wide center supporting community-based learning, service, and advocacy programs. Directly comparable to Einhorn in facilitating CEL courses, community partnerships, and student engagement across colleges.
• Phillips Brooks House at Harvard: Harvard's student-led public service organization supporting community engagement, service learning, and volunteer programs. Comparable to the Einhorn Center's student organization network and community service programming.
• Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University: Brown's university-wide center for community-engaged scholarship, student service, and faculty partnerships. Directly comparable to Einhorn in supporting CEL courses, community-based research, and student fellowships.
• Yale Center for Community Engagement and Social Impact: Yale's central hub connecting students and faculty with community engagement opportunities in New Haven. Comparable to Einhorn as a CEL and community partnership coordinator within an Ivy League university.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cornelleinhorn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/einhorn-center-for-community-engagement-at-cornell

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Einhorn Center for Community Engagement at Cornell