Engaging Seattle Conference Brings Community Together

Recently the Sundborg Center for Community Engagement (CCE) hosted Engaging Seattle: Coming Together for a More Just City. This day-long conference invited SU faculty and staff along with community partners to engage with panels, keynotes and breakout sessions on exploring lessons and practices that guide their work toward a more just and humane city.

Made possible by a grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation and CCE staff, the conference was in response to emerging needs both on campus and in the community. With the launch of the new University Core in fall 2027, Seattle University will have one of the most engaged curricula in the country—with community partnerships an invaluable component.

“We knew we needed to pursue these curriculum changes in lockstep with our community partners, leaning on those who will hold us accountable and focusing on preparing not only our students but also the faculty and staff who shape our students’ experiences,” said Dr. Cecilia Morales, senior director of campus and community partnerships at CCE and conference organizer. “And what a better way than to bring our campus and community partners together to share stories and inspiring partnerships that have shaped and continue to shape our city?”

Through breakout sessions, participants discovered new strategies for partnering across institutions and organizations. They reflected on stories of suffering, resistance and transformation and shared opportunities to collaborate around community-driven research questions. 

The wisdom and insights shared were notable, but the truly unforgettable gift was spending time with one another, learning together, celebrating community and building relationships. 

“We know that truly inclusive and justice-centered work can only move at the speed of trust,” said Dr. Morales. “And we know that our relationships are the essential foundation that will allow our work to outlast all leadership transitions, budget cuts and the current national administration.”

The conference’s welcome invocation, delivered by Seattle University’s Catherine Punsalan-Manlimos, vice president for Mission Integration, highlighted the importance of community engaged learning in fulfilling SU's Jesuit mission of educating students who will be prepared to engage critically with social justice.

Citing the October 2000 address by Peter Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., Punsalan-Manlimos said, “Students, in the course of their formation, must let the gritty reality of this world into their lives, so they can learn to feel it, think about it critically, respond to its suffering and engage it constructively."

Kicking off with an intergenerational panel of three Seattle University alumni, a lively discussion developed on how they created spaces of belonging for themselves and their communities, especially in moments when those communities were subject to discrimination or erasure—pre-Civil Rights and more recently. Stories of marching together, eating traditional cuisine or hosting mercaditos (markets) inspired attendees to embrace both the joys and challenges of building community. 

SU Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Jodi O'Brien gave remarks on the purpose of higher education in promoting a just and inclusive democracy and the role CCE plays in leading the campus to develop trusting partnerships with communities.

Andrea Caupain Sanderson, co-architect and managing partner of the Black Future Co-Op Fund, delivered a powerful keynote address, Leadership Informed by History and Place: A Vision of Justice and Healing for Our Communities.

Caupain Sanderson challenged attendees to “get into right relationship with the wisdom” in the Central District and other neighborhoods surrounding campus.

Following the conference, community partners shared heartfelt feedback and a desire for more connection with faculty, such as: “I truly appreciated being able to work alongside others that understand the value of engaging the community in meaningful ways. I am even more intrigued by the opportunity to work with SU on further research and engagement strategies.”

Optional pre-conference immersion experiences the day prior allowed campus and community partners to learn alongside one another by attending  The Way of Companionship workshop led by Sacred Streets, Wing Luke Museum's Redlining Heritage Tour exploring the Chinatown-International District (CID). Participants also took a historical walk along the Central Seattle Waterfront withs Jennifer Ott.

Learn more about CCE’s work.