Ryan Nilsen

Senior Program Officer for Community Engagement

Ryan is the senior program officer for Community Engagement currently working primarily with undergraduate and graduate student fellowships and scholarships. He graduated from North Carolina State University with a double major in English and international studies and a minor in mathematics and completed a Master of Theological Studies degree at Duke University. While working at the Center, he also completed a graduate certificate in nonprofit leadership through the UNC School of Social Work. During graduate school, he participated in community-engaged research with the National Farm Worker Ministry and has been involved with several studies on the impact of community engagement and experiential education programs in higher education through his work at the Center. He is currently an adjunct instructor and teaches in the Department of Public Policy and the School of Education.

At the Center, Ryan provides day-to-day administration, outreach, planning and training for the Bryan Fellowships, Civic and Election Engagement, Community Engagement Fellowships, Community Service Scholarships, Disaster Relief, MacDonald Community Service Fellowships, Public Service Awards, Projects for Peace and Outward Bound scholarships.

Email: rbnilsen@unc.edu
Phone: (919) 843-6829
Office: Union Office

Selected publications:

Nilsen, R., Gillis, A., Hutson, B., and Blanchard, L. (2020). Reflections to Resumes: Alumni perceptions of a multi-term public service program’s connection to career. Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education, 12(3), 33-52.

Nilsen, R., Hutson, B., Blanchard, L., Hirt, L. Siems, M. and Mitchell, T. (2020). A comparative case study of alumni of two multi-term civic learning programs. Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education, 12(2), 26-43.

Bolick, C. and Nilsen, R. (2019). Outward Bound and Civic-Minded: the impact of an Outward Bound course on students’ understanding of and experiences with public service. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education and Leadership, 11(2), 120-133.

Nilsen, R., Emmerling, D. and Fieselman, L. (2018). Review of The Community Engagement Professional in Higher Education, edited by Lina Dostilio. Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, 9(1), 61-63.

Nilsen, R. (April 2014). The National Farm Worker Ministry as Freirian Apprenticeship. Religious Education, 109(2), 173-183.