News

Community engagement is in our DNA

IUPUI is inextricably connected to the world around us. Our campus covers more than 534 acres within the city of Indianapolis but our reach goes deep into the community.

Our commitment to community engagement can be seen in almost everything we do, whether we’re helping students succeed in the classroom or working to increase the well-being of our city, country, and world.

We’re here to facilitate these activities, creating and nurturing partnerships between campus and community in ways that matter.

Community engagement by the numbers

9,737students enrolled in community-based learning courses in 2015–16

1,000,000+hours of student engagement in the community through courses

4campus-wide days of service

875 community partners

63%of alumni reported participating in community service or volunteer work while at IUPUI

24%of faculty report engaging in a collaborative research project with a community partner

57%of IUPUI employees live in Marion County

57.7%of students voted in 2016

177community service scholarship recipients annually

A round yellow seal that says Carnegie Foundation Elective Community Engagement Classification.

IUPUI was among the first cohort of campuses to recieve the Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2006—the gold standard for the field—and was reclassified in 2015.

Making an impact in our community

Three people stand in front of a home. Two are holding shovels. One is holding a tree. There is a hole in the ground.

Volunteering for a Day of Caring

This fall, more than 300 IUPUI students, staff, and faculty members participated in the annual Day of Caring. Each fall, IUPUI partners with United Way to host Day of Caring, bringing Jaguars in service to the Indianapolis community. Volunteers impact the nonprofits and the community overall by helping to complete projects the organizations may not have the time, staff or money to address.

Read about the Day of Caring
The planet Earth from outer space.

Engaging students in earth sciences

Five IUPUI faculty members have secured a three-year, $428,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to enable IUPUI researchers to enhance geosciences education and inspire future solutions to community problems. The endeavor is designed to engage undergraduates, especially those typically unrepresented in the study of the Earth and its environment, such as first-generation college students and students of color.

Learn more about the program
Three children in yellow shirts carrying IUPUI backpacks walk across a sports field.

Kindergarteners get a taste of college life

In late September, nearly 1,000 kindergarteners from Hancock County spent the day on campus as part of the Walk into My Future program. The program is designed to plant the idea of going to college in kids’ minds early, so both they and their parents have time to plan. The students experienced a morning of activities that gave them early access to many of IUPUI’s programs, including soccer and basketball drills with student athletes along with arts and crafts.

Learn more about the day

Help us make Indianapolis a better place

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