CERCL (Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning) records

CERCL (Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning) began in 2007 as HERE (Houston Enriches Rice Education), a program designed to develop engagement of Rice University with the city of Houston. At its beginning, the initiative was supported jointly by the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, the Office of the Provost, the Humanities Research Center, and the Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance. CERCL continues to be led by the founding director of HERE, Anthony B. Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies.

As initially envisioned, HERE had three key components: a presentation by a distinguished lecturer each semester, the creation of an archive of material for research, and a local speaker series with presentations both on and off campus.

In 2012 HERE was renamed the Center for Engaged Research and Collaborative Learning, CERCL, and became a part of Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. As newly defined, the mission and objectives of the program place specific emphasis on outcomes desired for participants. The mission is to use innovative research, engaged pedagogy, and creative approaches to application in order to promote and advance models and practices of an expansive approach to leadership both on and off the Rice campus.