"Neighbor is not a geographic term. It is a moral concept." 
— Joachim Prinz

The focus of the Center for Community solutions is to address community need through providing project-based, community-engaged learning experiences for students, enabling their applying knowledge and skills learned, and community partners value through achieving organizational goals and objectives with needed assistance at no cost to the community partners. Thus, the CCS is central to informing, growing, and sustaining the University’s community engagement and leadership as an institutional priority and demonstrating the genuine commitment toward actualizing its public mission through serving as an anchor within community and meeting community need.

Our Mission

  • To facilitate university and community connections as a single point of contact
  • To connect campus resources with community needs
  • To provide opportunities for students to develop and apply their problem solving skills while enhancing their educational experience
  • To promote the professional expertise of our faculty and staff to external clients as requested across a range of business areas and topics

Areas for Potential Community Partnership

  • The Arts
  • Cultural Resources Management
  • Education
  • GIS and Planning
  • Government
  • Health and Wellness
  • History
  • Marketing and/or Brand Development
  • Organizational Planning and Leadership
  • Research
  • Social Justice
  • Social Media and/or Video Production
  • Sustainability
  • Tutoring and/or Mentoring
  • Website and/or App Development
  • Writing
Dr. Julie L. Dietrich – CCS Director and Executive Director of the Office of External Relations

Dr. Julie L. Dietrich serves as the institution’s primary government relations officer, cultivating and sustaining relationships with local, state, and federal elected officials and their offices, and a leading liaison within community. Through her position, Dr. Dietrich focuses upon executing strategic community and economic development as well as facilitating communication and negotiating partnerships among key leaders to help leverage and optimize the use of institutional assets and addressing community need.

Danielle Ciliberto - Graduate Assistant, Office of External Relations

Danielle Ciliberto serves as the Graduate Assistant for the Office of External Relations and Center for Community Solutions housed within it, helping to maintain relationships between student and community partners in the local through national community. In this position, she focuses on leading student recruitment, connecting and supporting student and community partners, and providing project management, ensuring meaningful projects that advance students’ experiential learning and meeting community need. Danielle is a recent West Chester University alumna, having received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degree in Spring 2026, while also being a four-year student-athlete. Currently, she is pursuing two concurrent master's degrees: Public Administration and Higher Education Policy and Student Affairs. Danielle has demonstrated exemplary performance academically and athletically; her genuine, consistent diligence, notable work ethic, and passionate care and enthusiasm for the work of the Office helps to generate invaluable, positive impact.