05/19/2026
It's been a wonderful year! The Meelia Center at Saint Anselm College is grateful for the creativity, flexibility, and commitment of our community partners, colleagues, and students. We are also thankful for the continued support and engagement from this campus community. Check out some of our amazing stats from this academic year! (Program descriptions below.)
-Community Engaged Learning: This is a high-impact educational practice where students engage with community partners in a mutually beneficial way while enhancing student learning and supporting the goals and programs of the partner. Students have the opportunity to apply classroom learning in real world settings, developing their academic and professional skills. At the same time, the work is defined by the community partner and focused on the needs of the community. This creates reciprocity and an exchange of learning and ideas between the classroom and the community. At the college there are a variety of types of community engaged learning, some that last a semester and others that are shorter experiences. For example, as part of the First-Year Experience, students had the opportunity to engage in various community events, putting the Benedictine Hallmarks into action while making a positive impact.
-Access Academy: Access Academy is an after-school program for Manchester high school students to grow as lifelong learners and explore options for their futures. It provides a unique opportunity, that student may not have otherwise, to learn in a college environment and build strong academic and supportive relationships with college students, faculty, and staff. These experiences help them develop skills and find success in their academic, career, and professional growth and goals while earning high school credit.
- Center at Saint Raphael Parish: The Community Center is a collaboration between Saint Raphael Parish, International Institute of New England, and the Meelia Center. This partnership has allowed the three organizations to combine their experience and resources to expand critical support to refugee and immigrant families and the local neighborhood. The Community Center, located in the Parish Hall, offers a range of programs and services on the westside of Manchester, an area that has been historically under-resourced.
-Foster and Adoptive Parent Night Out (FAPNO): This program is a collaboration with the Division of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). It is a monthly event where caregivers can drop off their children for an evening of fun with college students. This is an opportunity for the children to engage with positive role models and to build relationships with other children while caregivers get a much-needed respite.
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