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Community Impact and Corporate Partnerships

College@Elm

The College@Elm Innovation and Workforce Development Center exemplifies public-private partnership. By leveraging the dynamism of an entire university, and the vibrant Oxford arts community, the center will serve as a catalyst for economic development to attract small businesses and anchor people to live and work in Oxford, Butler County, and Southwest Ohio. College@Elm provides spaces for the most innovative and creative companies to locate in a vibrant rural community fueled by the engine of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University as an incubator of ideas, novel thinking, and state-of-the-art facilities.

Internship+

A partnership among local employers, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú students, and ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University. Internship+ addresses employers' needs to find staffing for specific positions. Internship+ provides opportunities for students who left to attend ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University to return and intern with local businesses. The internships focus on first- and second-year students who will return to their community during their winter and summer breaks. The initial internship begins during the winter break of the student’s first year of college. Should the business enjoy the experience, the business may ask the student to work remotely from Oxford during the student’s second semester. When that term ends, the student returns to the business as an on-site intern for the summer. Internship+ allows students who have gone away to college to have exposure to internship opportunities in their home town during their formative college years. Future internships will be compared to the ones in those first two years in your community. The one day a week exposure to the greater community will provide the student with the knowledge that returning home post-graduation to begin one’s career is a viable and welcome option.

Work+

Work+ is an innovative program that allows ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University and local employers to come together to solve real challenges for our community. The program expands the employee talent pool and reduces turnover expenses associated with entry-level positions. Work+ helps students earn an associate or bachelor's degree while working part-time and getting their tuition paid. Students work approximately 24 hours per week with a Work+ employer and take classes in a major of their choice.

Microcredentials

Microcredentials are a collection of courses or a training session that verifies skills in a particular area. Explore more than 30 short-term programs in tech, business, engineering, and more. Microcredentials benefit employers and people in all stages of their career journey.

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Opportunities for Regional Employers (MORE)

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Regionals is committed to empowering minds...strengthening communities. We're here to make the right connections, forming mutually beneficial relationships that positively impact the communities in which we serve. Explore our workshop series, MORE, to find additional details about upcoming workshops. Our office of ASPIRE (advancing strategy, partnerships, institutional relations, and economy) was created to streamline connections with partners in business, government and the community.

Career Fairs

This Center empowers undergraduate and graduate students to engage in career exploration and experiential learning to optimize their professional and personal potential through connections with employers and the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú career community. This engagement also deepens self-knowledge, enabling students to choose meaningful career paths and excel in a diverse, global society. Learn more about their career fairs today!

Supplier Diversity

The Office of Strategic Procurement manages a diverse selection of goods and services used by ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University. Our goal is to develop and maintain a diverse pool of suppliers that deliver strategic supplier relationships that benefit both the University and the community. Your success is our success.

Urban Cohort Program

The Urban Cohort is a community-based approach to teacher education. ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú faculty and Urban Cohort students collaborate with high-need schools and community-based organizations to prepare teachers who are grounded in the life of the community. “Forget no child left behind. We want every single child to thrive,” says Dr. Tammy Schwartz, director, Urban Cohort. Idealistic? Yes. Unrealistic? Not at all, says Dr. Schwartz, who grew up on welfare and food stamps in one of Cincinnati’s toughest neighborhoods. She knows firsthand how teachers can make a difference in a student’s life.

Hometown Talent Initiative

The Hometown Initiative seeks to build pathways that enable, provide, and celebrate students investments in Darke County. Our vision is to partner with you to inspire transformation in our young people to become the next generation of community leaders and workforce talent.

ELEVATE

An event created to broaden cultural awareness, competency and leadership knowledge in preparation for success in a global workforce. ELEVATE is a space where our career community identifies ways to advance inclusion, equity, and diversity in professional spaces.

Freedom Summer ‘64 Award Ceremony

The Freedom Summer of ’64 Award was created to honor champions of civil rights and social justice. It is given in remembrance and recognition of the site at the Western College for Women (now part of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University), where 800 young Americans trained to register Black voters in the South. "This award honors the legacy of the civil rights movement, but is also a new call for students, faculty, staff and citizens to reconnect with civic service and civil rights at a time when participation, and standing for one's belief in their fellow humans is more important than ever," said Gregory Crawford, President of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University.

Top 100 - Best Colleges for Future ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú (2023)

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University has been named one of the Best Colleges for Future ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú in a recently released list from TIME magazine. ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú is No. 35 overall and the top-ranked university from Ohio on the list, which analyzed the resumes of 2,000 top leaders in the United States - from politicians to CEOs, Nobel Prize winners, and more. From there, a list of the top 100 colleges shaping U.S. leaders was formed.

Ranked No. 3 for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

Among national public universities, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University is ranked No. 3 for its excellence in undergraduate teaching, according to the new U.S. News & World Report 2024 Best Colleges rankings. Among all universities, it is ranked No. 11 for undergraduate teaching programs.

A Purple Star Campus (Ohio Recognition)

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University was among the first group of Ohio colleges and universities designated as Collegiate Purple Star campuses for its efforts to support students with military backgrounds. Ohio was the first state in the nation to offer these designations

Purple Heart University

This designation requires a college or university to develop purposeful approaches to supporting not only the military-affiliated population but those that have sacrificed their most precious resource, their bodies, in the defense of this nation. These institutions have not only met the minimum standards in providing specific programs to aid this population in their academic endeavors, but they have by far exceeded those benchmarks.

2023 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University has again been awarded a Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. The national honor recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú also received the honor in 2022, 2021, and 2020.

2023 Inspires ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú in STEM Award

The magazine INSIGHT Into Diversity has bestowed its 2023 Inspiring ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú in STEM award on ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program, which provides incentives and opportunities for high-achieving underrepresented minority students to achieve their goals in STEM degrees, careers, and graduate school. Funded by the National Science Foundation, LSAMP was named in honor of former U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes (D-Ohio), who represented the east side of Cleveland as Ohio’s first elected Black congressman and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

2024 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Libraries has been named a recipient of the inaugural Insight Into Diversity magazine 2024 Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award. The LEAD Award honors academic library programs, policies, and initiatives that encourage and support diversity, equity, and inclusion across their campus and surrounding community. These include, but are not limited to, research, technology, accessibility, exhibitions, and community outreach.

Farmer School of Business Entrepreneurship Program

The Farmer School of Business John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship reached new heights in the latest undergraduate entrepreneurship program rankings by Princeton Review, coming in at No. 9 in the world and No. 5 among public colleges and universities. It’s the 15th year in a row that the FSB entrepreneurship program has ranked among the top 10 public institutions, but the first time to be one of the top 10 overall.

Global Readiness Certificate

• The Global Readiness Certificate (GRC) is designed for students of all majors who wish to position themselves strategically for employment in today's increasingly competitive, diverse, and global workforce.
• The certificate combines ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú coursework, co-curricular activities, and community involvement focused on global readiness. The courses and experiences in this certificate program will provide students with the knowledge, awareness, and skills necessary for global and intercultural communication and teamwork.
• Upon completion of the certificate, students will:
  • Acquire interdisciplinary global knowledge
  • Gain intercultural competencies
  • Develop culturally sensitive mindsets necessary to live, work and interact with diverse individuals in our local and global communities.

43rd Annual Bronze Winner - The Telly Awards

ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University's renowned teaching and commitment to diversity are brought to life beautifully in award-winning video. Our online DEI modules received a Telly Award -- a global honor -- in 2022.

TRIO Upward Bound Program

Upward Bound is a free college preparatory program that provides academic support and focuses on your personal development during high school. The program is open to prospective first-generation college students (meaning neither parent has received a four-year college degree), as well as students who come from families that meet .  Our two-part program provides you with academic tutoring, college visits, workshops, cultural and educational experiences, test preparation, and a six-week Summer Academy with an on-campus living experience. The mission of MU Upward Bound is to support students’ personal growth, academic achievement, and overall success and wellbeing while encouraging and preparing them to graduate with a four-year college degree.

TRIO Student Support Services

TRIO is a set of federally-funded college opportunity programs that motivate and support students whose educational and economic background can make the pursuit of a college degree difficult. Over 850,000 Pell recipients, first-generation students and students with disabilities from sixth grade through college graduation are served by more than 2,800 programs nationally. TRiO programs provide academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance, and other supports necessary so that students can focus on earning a degree.

DEI in ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉúhip Certificate

Become an empowered leader with ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University's award-winning online Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉúhip Certificate. Choose from three concentrations and learn from experts in the field, gaining practical knowledge and strategies to support inclusive workplaces and communities.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Mastermind

This innovative, virtual experience is designed to engage you and your organization in a process of self-evaluation surrounding expanding work in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Facilitated conversations will explore access barriers to launching students’ careers while creating a safe space for employers to engage in peer-to-peer dialogue.

Center for KickGlass Skills

The Center for KickGlass Skills is based in the Farmer School of Business to provide cultural leadership and social change skills to all ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University students, faculty, and staff. It also offers skills credentials and consulting to external organizations and individuals. The Farmer School of Business provides a professional platform for the Center’s high-tech/ high-touch, building the Center’s initiatives on the model of BQ Model of Future Work Skills that was the foundation of the Farmer School’s First-year Integrated Core. The Center designs, funds, and facilitates BEYOND READY CQ, the Farmer School of Business’ innovative new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion skills program, provides students with opportunities to take co-curricular credentials within its CQ ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉúhip program, advances under-represented talent to leadership, and creates organizational CQ within the Farmer School of Business and beyond.