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The Undergraduate Academic Seal at Salem State University is designed as a micro-credential that recognizes a student’s fulfillment of a set of criteria established to highlight engagement with thematic content, including coursework and experiential co-curricular engagement, throughout a student’s undergraduate career. See full definition in the Curriculum Overview section of this catalog. Please see information below for each academic seal currently offered by the University.
Diversity, Power Dynamics and Social Justice (DPDS) Seal
The Diversity, Power Dynamics, and Social Justice (DPDS) Seal is a valuable transcript recognition for students who have demonstrated active engagement in the study and practice of diversity, power dynamics, and social justice at Salem State University. The requirements needed to earn the DPDS Seal provide students with experiences that connect them academically, personally, professionally, and civically to our diverse communities and their struggles and accomplishments and prepare them to assume leadership roles in their communities and workplaces.
DPDS Seal Requirements
Criterion I: DPDS Designated Coursework (9 credits)
Criterion II: Community Based DPDS Experience
Students will participate in at least two meaningful and sustained experiential engagements with diversity, power dynamics, and social justice. These experiences must take place over multiple semesters and total at least 144 hours. Paid internship experiences are accepted and encouraged to fulfill this criterion. These experiences can be fulfilled by engaging in any two or more of the following activities, each requires a pre-planning document and meeting with the Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion or the Center for Equity, Education and Belonging’s director of education and training. Each experience concludes with the reflective writing or interview.
- Sustained volunteering or community service. Sustained volunteering or community service entails approximately 50 hours of community service at a single community organization or entity. Organizations can include non-profit organizations, resident associations, schools, and other community-based groups whose mission focuses on diversity, power dynamics, and social justice. The Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion will maintain a list of pre-approved sites for volunteer or community service focused on diversity, power dynamics, and social justice (see appendices). Students may apply to the Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion for approval of additional volunteer or community service sites.
- Internship. Student completes an internship with a group or employer dedicated to diversity, equity, and social justice. The internship may be, but does not need to be, credit-bearing. The Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion will maintain a list of pre-approved internship opportunities (see appendices). Students may apply to the Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion for approval of additional internship options.
- Study Away. Short-term faculty-led trips, summer programs, or semester or year-long study away programs that involve students in diverse communities and/or in addressing power dynamics and working for social justice. The Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion will maintain a list of pre-approved Study Away opportunities (see appendices). Students may apply to the Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion for approval of additional study away options.
- Leadership- DPDS leadership takes many forms. Leadership experiences include planning and a community or campus event, creating or leading a community or campus club or organization, and/or participation in student government. The Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion will maintain a list of pre-approved campus and community organizations and leadership roles (see appendices). Students may apply to the Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion for approval of additional campus and community leadership roles.
Upon completion of each of the settings or travel experiences, the student will complete the CECL reflection and evaluation and upload it to the My Activities Portfolio and the DPDS Seal Canvas Site.
Administration of the DPDS Seal
Any student in good academic and disciplinary standing may pursue the DPDS Seal.
Interested students will register for the DPDS Seal through the Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Equity, Education, and Belonging. Students who choose to pursue the Seal after one or more years at Salem State or at another institution will be advised by the Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion as to the requirements of the Seal and how they can be met given an individual student’s graduation timeline. Students may decide to begin or withdraw from the DPDS Seal during any semester and students who withdraw from pursuit of the Seal will not be penalized.
The Faculty Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion will serve as an advisor for the DPDS Seal and monitor students’ progress through the Seal requirements via review of transcripts, documentation of achievements in My Activities Portfolio and Canvas site; send an updated list of students pursuing the DPDS Seal to the Registrar’s Office at the start of each semester; and report students’ completion of the Seal to the Registrar’s Office with accompanying documentation scanned into the students’ OnBase accounts. The Office of the Registrar will verify and affix the Seal on a student’s transcript.
Global Engagement Seal
The Global Engagement Seal is valuable transcript recognition for students who have demonstrated active engagement in global activities and initiatives at Salem State University. The requirements needed to earn the Global Engagement Seal provide students with experiences that connect them personally, professionally, and civically to the world and prepare them to be global citizens ready to assume leadership roles in their communities and workplaces. The Global Engagement Seal will provide a cohesive and tangible pathway for students to fulfill Salem State’s mission to prepare “a diverse community of learners to contribute responsibly and creatively to a global society.”
Students who graduate with a Global Engagement Seal will have accrued several academic and professional benefits. World language and globally themed coursework allow students to expand their foreign language awareness or proficiency to communicate in an increasingly global workplace and has students curating their global learning to suit their interests and career/personal goals. The international experiences will increase students learning beyond the traditional classroom walls with either a study abroad or collaborative online learning experience. These international experiences broaden a student’s intercultural understanding, offer them an understanding of global citizenship, while internationalizing their resume. All three of these required elements provide students with knowledge and insights into world events and the ability to link experiences to historical and cultural understanding of the U.S.
Students will obtain additional professional l benefits from pursuing the Global Engagement Seal as well. They will be recognized an annual banquet held by the Center for International Education where they will receive a global engagement stole they can wear during Commencement. Students will also have had the opportunities to develop meaningful relationships and cross-cultural friendships with individuals of different cultures. Students will gain a deeper understanding of cross-cultural differences and global challenges along with the ability to communicate and collaborate more easily across cultural and linguistic boundaries. Many will have received their passport which will allow them to more easily travers the globe in their future endeavors. These experiences increase independence and self confidence in an ever-expanding world.
Global Engagement Seal Requirements
Students must fulfill the requirements of each of the two criteria below to achieve the Global Engagement Seal. All credits and activities must be completed while enrolled in a degree program at Salem State with the exception of prior language courses transferred from another accredited college or university. If a transfer student wants to enroll in the program, previous courses will be assessed for transfer credit for the Global Engagement Seal and all additional requirements must be completed while at Salem State. Work done as an undeclared or exploratory program student at SSU counts toward the Global Engagement Seal. Within each criterion, students will select from the options that are best suited to their interests. Note: Courses may “double dip” and be used toward major/minor/general education requirements.
Criterion I: World Language Coursework and Globally-Themed Coursework (9 credits total)
A student can choose to take 3 – 6 credits in each category for a total of 9 credits. If a student has earned The Seal of Biliteracy as granted by a Massachusetts High School, this may count for the equivalent of 3 credit of world language study).
Goal: Students will have the experience of learning and communicating in a language other than English, a foundation of global and cultural awareness and will engage with rich academic subject matter through courses where the majority of the content focuses on a society and/or culture that is distinct from the dominant culture of the United States.
1. World Language Coursework (3 – 6 credits). Students may take language courses at any level. World language credits earned through any of the mechanisms outlined in the Salem State Academic Catalog may be applied to the Global Engagement Seal. The ways to fulfill this criterion are explained below:
a. Satisfaction by college-level language courses. This required language study may be demonstrated by successfully completing credits of university-level world language courses at SSU. Students may also transfer credits for World Language or American Sign Language courses from other accredited colleges or universities in the U.S. or during a study abroad experience.
b. Language Requirement for International and Multilingual Students. The language requirement is considered fulfilled by any student who as earned a diploma from a secondary school, college or university where instruction was in a language other than English. Students may choose to take additional language courses or all 9 credits in WC courses.
c. Language Requirement for Heritage Speakers of a Second Language other than English. If a student is a heritage speaker and their home language is a language other than English, they may take courses in that language or an additional world language.
Students who have a language-based learning disability documented by the Office of Disability Services at Salem State University may request that a substitution of the World Language requirement be granted Courses taught in English with the WLC designation will be appropriate substitutions.
2. Globally-Themed Coursework (3 – 6 credits). Students may choose 3 – 6 credits of globally-themed coursework from the Salem State World Cultures General Education category (see list of attached courses which have been approved as in the World Cultures category of the General Education curriculum).
Transfer students may petition through the CIE to have 3 credits of prior coursework taken at another institution approved as “globally-themed.” The student must submit the syllabus of a course taken at another institution to CIE. The faculty fellow will verify the course description and confirm via the syllabus that the majority of course content focuses on a society and/or culture that is distinct from the dominant culture of the United States. The CIE will confirm the approval of any outside course to the Registrar’s Office at the time when the student has completed the requirements of the Global Engagement Seal.
Criterion II. International Experience
Goal: Students will have one or more culturally immersive international experiences with people of a country other than the United States to gain cross-cultural awareness, intercultural communication experience, and empathy. International experiences must total at least 143 hours can be fulfilled through the following:
a.Study Abroad. Short-term faculty led trips summer programs, or semester or year-long study abroad programs. Note: International students studying in the United States will have fulfilled the sustained experience abroad.
b. COIL course. Student completes a course with a COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) component may count the hours dedicated to COIL as part of this requirement.
c. Internship. Student completes an internship or short-term service-learning experience in another country.
d. Research, volunteer, or field work completed in another country.
Coursework may not be used for the international experience. If a student is studying abroad or on a faculty-led study travel course, time spent outside of class will count toward the international experience portion of the global engagement seal. Language courses taken while studying abroad may also count toward the coursework requirement with the time commitment required for the international experience counted separately. A student may ask for a course taken abroad to be counted toward globally-themed coursework on a case-by-case basis.
Administration of the Global Engagement Seal
Any student in good academic and disciplinary standing may pursue the Global Engagement Seal. Interested students will register for the Global Engagement Seal through the Center for International Education (CIE). Students who choose to pursue the Seal after one or more years at Salem State or at another institution will be advised by the Faculty Fellow for Global Engagement as to the requirements of the Seal and how they can be met given an individual student’s graduation timeline. Students may decide to begin or withdraw from the Global Engagement Seal during any semester and students who withdrawal from pursuit of the Seal will not be penalized.
Public Engagement Seal
The Public Engagement Seal will be a valuable transcript recognition for students who have demonstrated active participation in civic learning and public engagement at Salem State University. The requirements needed to earn the Public Engagement Seal will prepare students to serve as public problem solvers in their own communities, which may include geographic, identity, and issue-based communities among others. The Public Engagement Seal will provide a cohesive and tangible pathway for students to fulfill Salem State’s mission to prepare “a diverse community of learners to contribute responsibly and creatively to a global society.”
The Public Engagement Seal will be earned by students who fulfill the requirements listed below. Undergraduate students in good academic and disciplinary standing from any discipline will be able to pursue the Seal by demonstrating a commitment to meaningful civic engagement and public problem solving. Once the requirements outlined below are completed by the student and verified by the Center for Civic Engagement and the Registrar’s Office, the Seal will be affixed by the Registrar’s Office to students’ transcripts.
Benefits of the Public Engagement Seal
Students who graduate with a Public Engagement Seal will have accrued several academic and professional benefits. Civic and public engagement coursework will prepare students to consider and address the root causes of various social issues across academic disciplines. Students will develop a deeper understanding of political engagement and social change through their coursework, including a greater recognition of themselves as agents of change. Community-based experiences will help students develop community relationships and important skills (e.g.,identifying community cultural wealth, collaboration, reciprocal communication, research, activism, advocacy, etc.) that will help them meet their post-graduation goals, whether graduate school or employment. Students will be able to indicate these experiences on their graduate school applications and/or resumes, along with the Public Engagement Seal that will be affixed to their transcripts.
Students will derive several personal benefits from pursuing the Public Engagement Seal as well. They will be recognized during the annual Civic Engagement Hall of Fame hosted by the Center for Civic Engagement and via a public engagement stole students can wear during Commencement. Students will also have opportunities to establish meaningful relationships and network with other civic-minded students, faculty, staff, and community partners. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the culture, history, assets,cultural wealth, and challenges that can be found in any community. Through coursework and community-based experiences, students will develop independence and confidence in their ability to contribute meaningfully to social change.
Public Engagment Seal Requirements
Students must fulfill the requirements of each of the two criteria below to achieve the Public Engagement Seal. All credits and activities must be completed while enrolled in a degree program at Salem State. Work done as an undeclared student counts toward the Public Engagement Seal. If transfer students want to enroll in the program, previous courses will be assessed for transfer credit for the Public Engagement Seal and all additional requirements must be completed while at Salem State. Within each criterion, students will select from the options that are best suited to their interests. Note: Courses may “double dip” and be used toward major/minor/general education requirements.
Criterion I: Public Engagement Coursework (9 credits across 3 disciplines)
Goal: Students will engage with rich academic subject matter through courses wherein content focuses on civic and public engagement through advocacy, activism, or other means. Students will take one course from each category and a third course from either category.
a. Public Engagement Knowledge and Skills- Course content focuses primarily on building knowledge and communication skills that will help students engage in advocacy, activism, and/or collective action and/or building knowledge and skills related to contemporary political issues and institutions and or public policy.
b. Public Engagement Application and Action Orientation- Course content focuses primarily on understanding various types of social inequalities with the goal of promoting meaningful social change.
A list of eligible courses will be updated each semester and published on the Public Engagement Seal Canvas page.
Transfer students can petition through the Center for Civic Engagement to have coursework taken at another institution approved as “civic or public engagement coursework.” These students must submit the syllabus for each course to the Center for Civic Engagement. The Faculty Fellow for Civic Engagement or the Executive Director of the Center for Civic Engagement will review the course description and confirm the majority of course content focuses on civic or public engagement. The Center for Civic Engagement will confirm the approval of any outside coursework to the Registrar’s Office upon students’ completion of the Seal requirements.
Criterion II: Community-Based Experience
Goal: Students will participate in at least two meaningful and sustained community, civic, political, or public engagement experiences with community members. These experiences must take place over one or more semesters and equal at least 144 hours. The Center for Civic Engagement defines community as a group of people that share a geographic location, identity, and/or issue-based focus. Community-based experiences are those in which the student engages with a community group to complete any of the following experiences. Paid internship experiences are accepted and encouraged to fulfill this criterion. These experiences can be fulfilled by engaging in any two or more of the following activities, each requires a pre-planning document and meeting with the faculty fellow for civic engagement or executive director for the center for civic engagement. Each experience concludes with the reflective writing or interview.
a. Sustained volunteering or community service-Sustained volunteering or community service entails at least 50 hours of community service at a single community organization or entity. Organizations can include non-profit organizations, schools, and other community-based groups.
b. Community-based research- Community-based research is conducted alongside community partners with the goal of building on community assets to address community needs. Community-based research projects are typically led by community leaders and faculty partners, and meaningfully involve community stakeholders in all steps of the research process.
c. Political, civic, or public engagement internship-A political, civic, or public engagement internship is a professional learning experience that offers practical real-world experiences for students who are interested in political and/or public service. Examples include interning or working for an elected official or for a civic group like the local council on aging.
d. Political engagement-Political engagement can include volunteering for a political campaign, participating in voter education and engagement activities, and taking on a leadership role in a university or community decision-making entity among other things.
e. Advocacy, community organizing, or collective action- Community organizing or collective action entails working to advocate for meaningful and sustainable social change.
f. Fieldwork- Fieldwork entails professional experiences that prepare students for postgraduate work by integrating academic and classroom knowledge with real-world experiences in human service organizations.
g. Leadership- Publicly engaged leadership takes many forms. Leadership experiences may include creating or leading a community or campus club or organization, participation in student government, serving on the board of community organization, etc.
Administration of the Public Engagement Seal
Any student in good academic and disciplinary standing can pursue the Public Engagement Seal. Interested students will notify the Center for Civic engagement of their intent to complete the public engagement seal. Students who choose to pursue the Seal after one or more years at Salem State or at another institution will be advised by the Faculty Fellow for Civic Engagement as to the requirements of the Seal and how they can be met given an individual student’s graduation timeline. Students may decide to begin or withdraw from the Public Engagement Seal during any semester and students who withdraw from pursuit of the Seal will not be penalized.
The Faculty Fellow for Civic Engagement will serve as an advisor for the Public Engagement Seal by monitoring students’ progress through Seal requirements via transcript reviews and documentation of achievements; and reporting students’ completion of the Seal to the Registrar’s Office with accompanying documentation scanned into the students’ OnBase accounts. The Office of the Registrar will verify and affix the Seal on a student’s transcript.
Sustainability Seal
The Sustainability Seal will be a valuable recognition for students who have demonstrated active participation in the study, practice, and principles of sustainability at Salem State University. Since the 1987 United Nations Brundtland Commission report, sustainability has been defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Sustainable development integrates responsible environmental stewardship, fair economic development, and social equity and well-being. Over the last 30 years, sustainability has become central to global efforts to promote a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, as embodied in the UN’s widely adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These SDGs address such intersecting issues as poverty, economic and educational inequality, and the climate crisis. Sustainability is embraced by public and private institutions, as well as communities, and there is a growing need for workforce professionals and civic leaders who understand how to use the sustainability framework to apply a solutions-oriented approach to sustainable development.
Salem State has centered sustainability in Goal IV. Environmental Stewardship and Climate Action and Goal VII. Financial Vitality and Sustainability of Meeting the Moment – Salem State University’s strategic plan for 2023-2028. Sustainability is correctly acknowledged as an important culture to nurture and infuse throughout the campus community both in regard to the current student body and future Salem State University students. Salem State University and the student body must be able to weather a period of intense change in the environment, economy, society, and higher education. A Sustainability Seal would highlight the importance of investing in current climate change actions to address contemporary issues while also stepping back to address potential issues in the future. Students who complete the seal would become advocates for sustainable projects on campus as well as become invested in the culture and shared governance of the university.
Students will develop a deeper understanding of the issues, concerns, and solutions that a sustainability framework provides through their coursework and experiential engagement. They will gain a greater recognition of themselves as agents of change. Community, advocacy, and scientific experiences will help students develop relationships and important skills (collaboration, reciprocal communication, research, activism, advocacy, etc.) that will help them meet their post-graduation goals, whether graduate school or employment. Students will be able to point to these experiences on their graduate school applications and/or resumes, along with the Sustainability Seal that will be affixed to their transcripts.
Sustainability Seal Requirements
Students must fulfill the following two requirements to obtain their Sustainability Seal: (1) 9 credit hours of sustainability coursework across three disciplines and (2) sustainability experiential engagement (equivalent of an internship during the semester – 120 hours overall which is 8 hours a week for 15 weeks). All credits and activities must be completed while enrolled in a degree program at Salem State. Work done as an undeclared student counts toward the Sustainability Seal. Within each criterion, students will select from the options that are best suited to their interests. Note: Courses may “double dip” and be used toward major/minor/general education requirements.
Step 1: The program will be advertised through academic departments, first-year and transfer student orientations, student clubs and organizations, and on the Center for Economic Development and Sustainability website. Any interested undergraduate student in good academic and disciplinary standing can apply by completing the Sustainability Seal application form available on the CEDS website. Students will also be invited to attend an information session held each semester that will explain the Sustainability Seal. The process for earning the Sustainability Seal will be found on the CEDS Website.
Step 2: The Center for Economic Development and Sustainability will notify students accepted to pursue the Seal and will enroll them in the Sustainability Seal Canvas site. Students must be approved by CEDS before they begin their sustainability experiential engagement.
Step 3: Over the course of their academic careers at Salem State, students will complete the two required Sustainability Seal criteria: (1) 9 credit hours of sustainability coursework across three disciplines and (2) sustainability experiential engagement. The sustainability experiential engagement must be pre-approved by CEDS before students begin. The sustainability experiential engagement can be for credit or not-for-credit.
Step 4: Students will be responsible for documenting their progress in all categories via the My Activities Portfolio and in consultation with the Director of CEDS. Students will record their experiences for each category via the My Activities Portfolio that will be set up and tailored for the Sustainability Seal in Navigator. When all requirements have been completed, the Director of CEDS or the Chair of the Geography and Sustainability Department will review and finalize the student’s achievements through a verification form. The completed form will be sent to the Registrar’s office and to the student’s OnBase file so the Seal can be affixed to student’s transcripts.
Step 5: A student will graduate with the Sustainability Seal on their transcripts, which they can use to enhance their resumes and applications for post-graduation opportunities.
Administration of the Sustainability Seal
The Director of the Center for Economic Development and Sustainability will serve as an advisor for the Sustainability Seal by monitoring students’ progress through Seal requirements via transcript reviews and documentation of achievements; and reporting students’ completion of the Seal to the Registrar’s Office with accompanying documentation scanned into the students’ OnBase accounts. The Office of the Registrar will verify and affix the Seal on a student’s transcript.
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