The introduction to civic engagement at Wagner College began in 1997 with a curricular reform initiated by the President of Wagner College, Dr. Richard Guarasci. He believed that a liberal education must allow students to ‘integrate ideas and experiences as a means to create, while critically assessing, new knowledge. The pragmatic view of a liberal education involves students proactively seeking out knowledge, being critical of new knowledge, and actively engaging in a dialogue with the faculty and their community.

In the Fall of 1998, the new curriculum was established. It was named The Wagner Plan or the Practical Liberal Arts: Reading, Writing & Doing. This plan was an outgrowth of the Wagner College mission and institutional goals. As an institution of higher learning, Wagner College has implemented academic programs that encourage undergraduates to be civically engaged in their environment. The college was invited to join 20 other institutions under the program Project Pericles, is a member of ANAC and the New York Campus Compact, and is also linked with the Bonner Foundation. All these partnerships strengthen the culture of civic engagement on campus.

The Civic Engagement Certificate Program is a product of the Wagner Plan and was written up as a proposal by Julie Barchitta (the Dean of Experiential Learning and the Learning Communities) and Lori Weintrob (Associate Professor of History) in 2005. In the summer of 2006, Anna Imperial (The Wagner College NYCC AmeriCorps VISTA)  was introduced to the Wagner Community to help support the program by community building with students, tracking their progress in the program, and providing a bridge between students and the community partner they serve. With the support of administrators, faculty, and staff, the students are taught to see civic engagement as an academic responsibility to their community.  

The Civic Engagement Certificate Program helps immerse students into the Staten Island community by giving them access to different community organizations such as Project Hospitality, the African Refuge Center, and Community Health Action. Like the Wagner Plan, the Civic Engagement Certificate program combines volunteer work with an academic curriculum.  The students in the program are given the opportunity to experience what it means to be civically engaged in the community and gain knowledge of the dynamics of citizenship in society.