Community Connections
Some of the offices and programs are highlighted below. For additional information on these and other connections across Connecticut, visit the websites of
Central,
Eastern,
Southern and
Western.
Central
- CCSU's Institute of Technology and Business Development hosted its first graduating class of the Hispanic Business Start-Up Program. The program, in collaboration with the Spanish Speaking Center of New Britain, has helped New Britain Hispanics start local businesses. In addition, the partners developed Spanish-language courses to assist Latino entrepreneurs.
- Professional Development Schools (PDS) are unique university-school collaborations that connect CCSU to local communities to support student achievement. The Naylor-CCSU Community School in Hartford is the strongest and longest-standing, but CCSU has cultivated other PDS's in Cromwell, Wethersfield and Vernon to reach more of Connecticut's children and to provide teacher candidates diversity in their educational experiences.
Eastern
- Staff from ECSU's Institute of Sustainable Energy give lessons about energy conservation to Connecticut schoolchildren. The ISE also operates a website that helps educators teach students about the impact their everyday choices have on the environment.
- Eastern faculty and the teachers at the Child and Family Development Center share best practices and research outcomes with early childhood professionals, social services, and government agencies dealing with children and family issues. The Center serves 90 families (75 preschoolers and 15 infants and toddlers).
- Learn more at http://www.easternct.edu/visitors/easternatwork.htm
Southern
- At SCSU, physics students mentor students from the New Haven public schools. In the 2005-2006 academic year, physics students volunteered 150 hours with kids who needed help participating in the New Haven Science Fair. Ultimately, three young participants received first place awards, and two went on to earn first honors with special awards at the Connecticut State Fair.
- Southern students, faculty and staff volunteer to help clean up the local community during the university's annual Southern Day of Service. This fall, more than 300 people combined to collect and dispose of nearly a dozen tons of trash. It marked the third consecutive year of the program and is a collaborative effort with the New Haven Police Department and the New Haven Parks and Recreation Department. View Southern Day of Service Photos
Western
- WCSU partners with the Danbury Public Library to promote a common read for incoming first-year students and all the residents of Danbury. "One Book, One Community," offers lectures by the author of the featured book as well as related books and movies, along with activities that reflect the theme of that year's featured book. Learn more
- Western was the lead agency for a project to create a community report card the health of the region's residents. Working with Danbury Hospital and other health agencies and non-profits, WCSU produced a document that measures economic stability, education, health status of residents, risk factors and diseases. See the report (pdf)
- For the past six years, Western has been working with local high schools to ensure that every high school senior is prepared for college. The program, called "Building a Bridge to Improve Student Success," has succeeded in dramatically reducing the number of WCSU first-year students who must enroll in remedial math and writing courses. Retention has also increased strongly as the university and high schools move toward including science in the program. Learn More
