About Us

Mission

The mission of the Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships is to expand and strengthen university–community engagement locally and globally in support of USF's strategic priorities: student success, research and innovation, partnerships, and sound financial management.

  • Produce well-educated and highly skilled global citizens through a continuing commitment to student success, including facilitating the design and delivery of high-impact community engaged learning opportunities that develop relevant applied skills, critical thinking and reflection, and civic responsibility.
  • Improve health and quality of life, address critical societal issues, and foster sustainable development through research and innovation, including community-engaged scholarship and creative activities that contribute to the public good.
  • Cultivate and nurture mutually beneficial partnerships locally and globally to promote reciprocal learning between the university and community; strengthen the Tampa Bay region in the global economy; and enhance student access to community engaged experiential learning, research conducted in real-world settings, and networking and employment opportunities.
  • Ensure a sustainable economic base through sound financial management, including aligning fiscal resources with university priorities; leveraging resources and partnerships; promoting community engaged research and learning opportunities with potential for high return on investment; and enhancing the USF brand through strategic communications about the value and benefits of university–community engagement.

As a major research university located in a large metropolitan area, USF has significant relationships with its surrounding host communities. Collaborative partnerships contribute to the research and training of faculty and students in a wide variety of disciplines, and knowledge gained from these activities should be used to address local needs and societal problems.

USF will serve as a hub in a knowledge-based society in which various communities are involved in all phases of the knowledge process, as opposed to traditional models of universities as dispensers of knowledge in a one-way process. OCEP integrates teaching, research, and service into a delivery approach that involves its constituents and responds to the needs of diverse communities.