The Community Programs Office serves as an umbrella office for the Student Retention Center, the Community Service Projects and the Student Initiated Outreach Center. Established in 1970 by concerned students, staff and faculty, the CPO strives to develop personal growth by raising our consciousness so that our experiences and management skills become relevant to community empowerment and in creating a better world for all humanity.

Within the CPO, we have over 25 student-initiated community service projects, six retention projects, and seven outreach projects. Through these projects, we affirm that educational role of students should include classroom instruction that is relevant to social issues couple with action that turns this theory into practice. BPO volunteers and project directors work year round to establish and implement educational, social, cultural, medical and academic services to under-served communities in the Los Angeles area.

The CPO is one of the most diverse places on campus, where students from various communities come together to learn from each other and share each other's experiences. The CPO is a place for students to find a community away from home, a safe space where students can feel comfortable enough to grow and flourish during their time on campus.