Campus and system websites highlight community programs
Jan. 14, 2019 • By Sue Postema Scheeres
The University of Colorado’s public outreach and community engagement efforts are coming into clearer focus, thanks to a revamped tool that showcases the impact of programs and initiatives statewide.
The University of Colorado system recently launched a new interactive map designed for public use that visually describes how all four campuses are serving Colorado communities through outreach and patient care. The CU for Colorado website sorts programs by county, Congressional Districts, state legislative districts and other broad categories.
This complements CU Boulder’s Public Outreach and Community Engagement website, which provides a database highlighting our campus’ nearly 240 programs that connect research, teaching and creative work with public needs. The database allows anyone to search programs by topic, location, program type, sponsoring unit and audience.
Conveniently, CU Boulder faculty and staff only need to submit information about their community-based academic work to our campus database to be featured on both websites. Any programs added to the CU Boulder website also appear on the system map. Note that to add a new program, faculty and staff will first need to create an account.
“We encourage CU Boulder faculty and staff to enter their community engagement program information into our campus database,” said David Meens, director of the Office for Office and Engagement, which administers the campus website. “This is one simple, effective way that you can help the public understand the vital role that your work and the university play in the lives of Coloradans.”
These programs from every college and school serve 500,000+ Coloradans each year through K-12 educational programs, civic engagement projects, community development initiatives and more.
CU Boulder’s outreach website was created in 2010 so campus and community partners could discover the university’s outreach and engagement resources, learn about the breadth of community outreach programs, find faculty and staff experts, and explore current program impact. The website also features a statewide calendar of events taking place in Colorado communities.
The website is one of the services offered through the Office for Outreach and Engagement. Since 2001, the office has helped connect academic research, teaching and creative work with public needs across Colorado and beyond through program and network development, funding and other services. The office works closely with communities around the state, helping connect schools, nonprofits, agencies and other community partners with faculty and staff and other campus resources.