OUTREACH & PartnerSHIPS

Outreach and the continued development of community partnerships are central to FIU’s community engagement efforts.

President Rosenberg’s focus on community engagement prompted the creation of the Community Partnerships Database in 2010. Moving forward, the database will serve as a repository of all community partnerships and will track the nature of those partnerships; the number of faculty, staff or students involved; community partner organizations; number of service hours performed; individual participants; amount of funding generated; and other relevant quantitative or qualitative measures.

This renewed commitment to the creation of outside partnerships mirrors President Rosenberg’s focus on the quality of FIU’s relationships with the community. In 2009, the president convened two community summits, engaging South Florida’s top education, business and civic leaders in a discussion about how the university can best collaborate with the community. He sought input on critical issues influencing FIU’s future direction and compiled participants’ recommendations in the 2009 Community Leaders Final Report.. In addition to those more formal events, the president hosted informal gatherings with community residents in literally dozens of neighborhoods around Miami-Dade County in his first year in office. These get-togethers were held in the homes of neighborhood leaders and featured President Rosenberg interacting one-on-one with community residents to learn more about the specific needs of these residents and their neighborhoods.