The Office of Outreach and Engagement, established in 2022, is dedicated to enhancing the University of Connecticut’s public engagement efforts by coordinating activities that strengthen connections between the University and its surrounding communities. By fostering policies that encourage best practices in outreach, our office serves as a critical bridge, linking UConn’s resources and expertise to communities across schools, colleges, centers, institutes, and regional campuses.

Our office serves as the primary point of contact for community members seeking to engage with the University’s diverse range of expertise and services. We facilitate meaningful partnerships and collaborations, working to ensure that the University’s outreach efforts benefit all 169 towns in Connecticut. Through this commitment, we actively contribute to UConn’s role as a public institution dedicated to serving the needs of its communities.

One of our key initiatives is the Program Inventory Collection Tool and Scholar Directory, centralized databases designed to document and share UConn’s diverse outreach and engagement activities. These tools serve as valuable resources for tracking participation, fostering broader involvement, and highlighting the positive impact of UConn’s work across the state.

The office is also responsible for coordinating the Provost’s Awards for Excellence in Community-Engaged Scholarship (PAECES), highlighting the critical role of community-engaged scholarship in fulfilling UConn’s mission as a land-grant and sea-grant institution.

The University’s ongoing commitment to community engagement was recently recognized with the 2024 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, a prestigious designation awarded to institutions demonstrating a strong commitment to community engagement. As UConn Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Anne D’Alleva stated, “This recognition reaffirms the University of Connecticut’s unwavering dedication to fostering meaningful partnerships and translating academic pursuits into actionable benefits for our communities, in fulfillment of our land-grant mission.”

Through its initiatives, the Office of Outreach and Engagement continues to champion UConn’s role as a leader in public service, building partnerships that foster positive change and advance the well-being of communities locally and globally.

Our Mission

Our mission is to empower faculty, students, and staff to work with their communities to achieve meaningful impact.

Our Values

1. High-quality research cultivates innovation and prosperous communities.
2. Mutually beneficial and reciprocal partnerships foster the co-creation of knowledge and drive transformative change.
3. Education, among other aspects, empowers students with a strong sense of moral, ethical, and social responsibility (UConn Common Curriculum, 2022).

Our Goals

1. Expand the capacity, recognition, and opportunities for faculty, staff, and students doing engaged scholarship and community outreach.
2. Advance mutually beneficial solutions that strengthen communities.
3. Empower students for lives of civic engagement.
4. Ensure the organizational vitality of the Office of Outreach and Engagement.