Building Bridges Across the Community
Dickinson's Thriving Partnerships With Local Businesses and Nonprofits
by Tony Moore
Dickinson students are gaining more than just classroom experience—thanks to innovative partnerships with local organizations, they’re getting real-world exposure, mentoring and a chance to make a meaningful difference in their community.
From downtown nonprofits to major corporate players like Carlisle Construction Materials (CCM), Dickinson’s growing network of local partners is helping students sharpen their skills and prepare for life after college. These collaborations are not only boosting student success, but they’re also strengthening Carlisle as a community.
A Strategic Corporate Collaboration: Carlisle Construction Materials
One standout example of this win-win approach is Dickinson’s flourishing partnership with CCM, a global manufacturer headquartered just a mile from campus. After reaching out to the college in search of a reliable talent pipeline, CCM and Dickinson’s Center for Career Development built a tailored internship program designed specifically for Dickinson students.
What started with two data analyst internships in fall 2024 has already expanded to include exclusive summer 2025 placements in Information Technology and Quality Management. The internships are embedded within CCM’s structured 10-week program, providing professional experience in a high-impact environment.
“The Center for Career Development partners with local organizations like Carlisle Construction Materials to provide Dickinson students with hands-on experience and valuable professional connections in the central PA region,” says Danielle Dagen, associate director of employer relations with the center. “CCM’s commitment to mentoring our students has made this a model example of how local collaboration can strengthen both career readiness and community ties.”
Adding to that support is an innovative housing solution: Dickinson is providing on-campus summer housing for interns, fully funded by CCM (who’s offering a stipend for students opting for other local housing). Five graduate interns will receive apartment-style housing in college-owned residences across Carlisle. This logistical coordination reflects a deeper commitment to partnership—not just in theory but in daily practice.
Community at the Core: The Community Engagement Fellows Program
While CCM represents Dickinson’s growing reach into the corporate sector, the Community Engagement Fellows (CEF) program highlights its long-standing investment in public service and nonprofit collaboration. Operational in some form for 20 years, the program places students in yearlong, paid internships with local and regional nonprofits and public agencies.
“The program provides a unique opportunity for deep community engagement, grounded in mutual benefit,” says Samantha Ha-DiMuzio, director of local and regional partnerships & programs with the Center for Civic Learning in Action (CCLA). “We work with our community partners to develop specialized internship opportunities that not only offer Dickinson students a unique long-term professional experience—two years or more—but also align with community-identified needs.”
For example, one student in the program, Reeti Rawal ’27 (political science), serves as a Child Advocate Fellow with Court Appointed Special Advocates, an organization that says her involvement allows staff to provide essential hands-on support to child advocates. For Rawal herself, the experience has proved to be just as useful.
“This internship has helped me feel confident in my decision to pursue law school and specifically juvenile law/advocacy,” she says. “The opportunity to see if I can handle the emotional turmoil that comes with juvenile court has been invaluable.”
With 26 students placed at 20 organizations in spring 2025, the CEF program touched nearly every corner of Carlisle's civic life. One student served as a programming intern at Carlisle Victory Circle, developing lessons on Afro and Asian diaspora history for middle and high school students. Another helped shape fundraising strategies and community events at Hope Station, a Black-led nonprofit advancing racial equity.
Meanwhile, a student at Shippensburg Produce and Outreach combined volunteer work with data analysis to inform food-distribution strategies—blending community service with applied learning in data science.
A Deepening Web of Connections
Beyond CCM and the CEF program, Dickinson students are interning at an impressive array of local organizations—from MidPenn Legal Services to the LGBT Center of Central PA History Project, the U.S. Army War College and Select Physical Therapy. Many of these placements are made possible through strong, sustained partnerships nurtured by faculty, staff and alumni.
Also coming up: a boutique-style career fair, Dickinson Career Connections: Central PA Spotlight. The event, a new initiative from the Center for Career Development and part of a new series Dickinson Career Connections, will be held Tuesday, Sept. 9, in the Stern Great Room. The fair will allow a curated group of Central Pennsylvania employers from a variety of industries to connect with Dickinson students for internships, jobs and networking.
As Dickinson’s collaborations continue to grow, so does the college’s reputation as a driver of regional talent, innovation and service. With more businesses and nonprofits seeing the value in partnering with Dickinson students, the college is poised to further integrate academic learning with the real-world needs of its local community. Whether it’s in boardrooms, food pantries, classrooms or courtrooms, Dickinson students are making their mark—and they’re doing it close to home.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published July 22, 2025