Our History

Organizing community engagement activities

In the early ’90s, IUPUI created a number of offices to handle various community engagement activities.

The first was the Office of Service Learning in 1993. It was followed by the Office of Community Service in 1994 and the Office of Neighborhood Resources in 1997.

In 2001, the offices combined to become the Center for Service and Learning.

In 2004, the IUPUI Solution Center was created to serve as the front door to the community to assist in the economic development of central Indiana.

The Office of Community Engagement comes into focus

In 2014, the IUPUI Strategic Plan called on the campus to “establish a structure and leadership to coordinate engagement activities more comprehensively and strategically; leverage our significant community and economic engagement activities; support relationships with entreprises related to areas of university research, creative activity, and professional service; and help to build a culture of entrepreneurship at IUPUI.”

The Office of Community Engagement was created as a result. It integrated several offices involved with the community into a comprehensive, campuswide office.

In 2017, Indiana Campus Compact became affiliated with the Office of Community Engagement.

Centers engaging our community

IUPUI is home to dozens of centers and institutes that partner with the community and conduct research intended to improve the quality of life in Indianapolis and the state of Indiana.

  • The Polis Center was established in 1989 to use geospatial technologies to help communities make better use of their data and improve their quality of life.
  • The Public Policy Institute was created in 1992. As part of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the institute delivers unbiased research that helps communities make important decisions.
  • The International Center for Intercultural Communication was established in 1998 to apply intercultural communication research to benefit the local and global community.
  • The Basile Center for Art, Design and Public Life was founded in 2005 as a creative think tank that collaborates with community partners to find creative solutions to existing problems.
See the complete list of centers and institutes