In the last eight months, the OCE has been involved in three key initiatives to encourage deeper involvement in community issues. By utilizing student expertise, these efforts support sustained, problem-solving partnerships with local nonprofit agencies.

Nonprofit Consulting Team:
This paid group of interns is trained to write grants, create procedures, and develop communications at the request of nonprofit agencies. Launched in Fall 2008, more information on this group can be found on the OCE's wiki site.

Policy Research Program:
A pilot effort of the national policyoptions.org project, this program attempts to connect citizens, nonprofits and governments with the information needed for better planning and decision-making.

Serve 2.0 Initiative:
In spring 2009 the office received a mini-grant from the Bonner Foundation to help students understand the roots of their service by identifying community assets and needs. The office launched a local food researching project through this initiative.

The Ripon Initiative for local Produce and Nutrition and Education (RIPEN) uses social media to link together the many community members and organizations concerned about food security, nutrition and environmental impact.

The RIPEN Initiative

More information on the Serve 2.0 project can be found on its wiki site.