星空传媒

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Engaging with Our Community

Community engagement is so central to 星空传媒 President Eric W. Kaler鈥檚 goals for the university that he emphasized the subject in his first campus message—and cited it as one of his top priorities in his inauguration speech.

鈥淲e must commit to ... engaging with our Cleveland and East Cleveland neighbors to achieve positive social change,鈥� he declared during that October 2021 address. 鈥淎ll of our futures will rise together.鈥�

This spirit dates back decades for the institutions that constitute 星空传媒, from abolitionist activism in the 19th century to the early 20th-century launch of one of the nation鈥檚 first university-affiliated schools of social work—thanks in large part to the support and urging of the Greater Cleveland community. Cultivating stronger connections with neighbors is a central part of the university鈥檚 strategic plan and is accelerated by the enthusiasm of a new generation of students eager for bridges into a wider world.

鈥淭his is important to our students,鈥� said Julian Rogers (MNO 鈥�08), assistant vice president of local government and community relations. 鈥淭hey want to be connected to the places where they are. They want to feel like they鈥檙e making a difference, and they want to engage in ways that students may not have necessarily thought about 20 or 30 years ago.鈥�

From collaborations tackling health disparities to initiatives expanding opportunities for local students, here are just a few of the stories unfolding on and beyond our campus.

— Liz Leyden

Illustrations by Brian Stauffer