It is with mixed feelings that we announce that Amel Gorani has resigned as the Director of CCCE and she will step down from her position after the spring term ends in June. She and her family have a unique opportunity to live in the Middle East, become immersed in a very different culture, and deepen their engagement with challenging issues in that region of the world. While this makes complete sense for her and her family, we will miss the leadership, vision, and ambition that characterize Amel’s directorship.
In 2016, she became the inaugural director of CCCE and led her staff in developing a vision and strategic plan. Under her direction, the office has been restructured, and its support of ACE courses has doubled — to 90 this year. Further, she has significantly grown the number of fellowships with nonprofits in Northfield and beyond. She has also overseen the implementation of an assessment plan for student learning through ACE.
Amel has focused on the values and ethics of Carleton’s civic engagement, co-leading a participatory action research project on immigrant and refugee communities with Educational Studies Associate Professor Anita Chikkatur, and increased the diversity of student participants. She has also forged new relationships for Carleton with local, regional, and international partners, from which both students and faculty have benefited.
The goals outlined in CCCE’s strategic plan are ongoing, and we will hire a successor to lead the Center’s work as soon as possible. We are currently developing a plan for office staffing in the interim between Amel’s departure and the arrival of a new director, so that the work of the Center continues without disruption.