Revolutionizing Community Engagement with RCommunity

February 29, 2024

Dear Rutgers Health Community,

I am thrilled to introduce RCommunity, a new software platform that will help transform the way we coordinate, track, and promote community service participation across all Rutgers campuses. This innovative tool not only strengthens our ties within Rutgers Health, but also showcases the profound impact our faculty, staff, students, and learners have on the health and well-being of all the communities we serve.

About RCommunity:
RCommunity serves as the nexus for tracking community engagement and volunteerism for our faculty, staff, students, and learners. The platform, similar to navigating a Facebook page, allows the user to find volunteer opportunities and events, post volunteer opportunities, and keep track of their service hours. By utilizing this platform, we aim to create a central channel of communication between community partners and Rutgers.  

Benefits for Learners:
This new application empowers students and learners to explore and sign up for a wide array of community engagement opportunities, aligning with their passions and professional pursuits. In addition, Rutgers Health students and learners can use RCommunity to create a co-curricular transcript to document all their engagements, satisfy service-learning requirements, and provide a holistic view of their involvement.

Benefits for Faculty/Staff:
The platform seamlessly tracks engagement tied to courses or programs, facilitating easier integration with Canvas. Faculty can effortlessly incorporate community engagement into their courses, establishing connections between community organizations and course subject areas.

Additionally, staff and administrators can verify volunteer hours, running comprehensive reports to document engagement within their department, school, or center. Both faculty and staff are also encouraged to track their own volunteer hours through RCommunity, as it collects data to aid in answering specialized accreditation questions related to community engagement.

I encourage you to create a profile and start exploring volunteer opportunities. On the website, you can also learn how to use the platform to search for service opportunities tailored to health professionals and learners as well as join the subgroups that align with your position and passions. For questions, email RCommunity@rutgers.edu.

Thank you for your commitment to community engagement and for contributing to making Rutgers Health a force for positive change.

Sincerely,

Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH
Chancellor, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs