Beth Frankel Merenstein

Dr Beth Merenstein served as the Associate Vice President for Community Engagement and Experiential Learning and Executive Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Social Research (CCESR) at Central Connecticut State University from 2022 until January 2026. Additionally, during that time, she also served as the Interim Director of Inclusion in the Office of Equity and Inclusion. She joined the faculty in the Sociology department at CCSU in 2004 and is currently a full Professor in the department. She has served as University Curriculum Chair, Associate Dean, and Presidential Fellow. Her community engagement research and teaching spans more than two decades, with particular emphasis on engaging undergraduate students in the work. Dr. Merenstein is also active in student success work with a focus on equity in education, and was instrumental in the creation of the Equity, Justice, and Inclusion addition to the university general education curriculum. She has taught multiple courses and published in peer-reviewed journals in the areas of community engagement and service-learning, produced numerous evaluation reports for local community organizations, and wrote a book on Immigration and Race that relied heavily on her work with community organizations.