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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.