History

The Center for Civic Innovation (CCI) was established in August of 2018 through a collaboration with the University of Notre Dame's College of Engineering, Office of Research, IDEA Center, and Office of Public Affairs. CCI grew out of a single project started in 2015 that was initially called the Bowman Creek Educational Ecosystem (BCe2). Housed in the College of Engineering, BCe2 immersed University of Notre Dame engineering students in hands-on community-engaged work with community partners to improve Bowman Creek in the Southeast Neighborhood of South Bend. Today, our work has grown to include over 50 interns from 15 colleges and high schools working in interdisciplinary teams on 15 projects across the South Bend-Elkhart region as part of CCI's Internship Program. These projects align with civic innovation research efforts of importance to Notre Dame faculty and community partners. The inaugural CCI Director is Dr. Jay Brockman, a faculty member in Notre Dame's Department of Computer Science and Engineering.