Happy New Year! The CWRU Office of Local Government and Community Relations has hit the ground running in 2024—we have much to do and even more to look forward to.
Importantly, this year will be the first full year of operations for the newly reorganized Office of Local Government and Community Relations, which now oversees the university’s Pre-College Programs. These programs include NYSP, Provost Scholars, Project STEP-UP, TRiO Talent Search and TRiO Upward Bound. Also, our office is now fully staffed, so we can better serve the needs of our neighbors and importantly, we can realize the full potential of our programming.
Next month, the Neighborhood Advisory Council will release its report from our November Community Dinner, which engaged guests in facilitated table conversations. After the report is shared with CWRU President Eric W. Kaler and other members of university leadership, we will share it with the general public.
Later this summer, we expect to open the Wade Park Community Engagement Center. The center will offer a range of community services and programs and it will be the new home for the Office of Local Government and Community Relations. Also this summer, as you will read in this issue, we are working with one of the university’s postdoctoral researchers Brenda Mathias on an evaluation of the National Youth Sports Program, as well as a case study of the Neighborhood Advisory Council. You can read about Brenda’s work in this issue.
Finally, as you evaluate how you can enhance your own impact on the community, I encourage you to consider volunteering your time or donating items to one of our community partners, The Haven Home. For the past six years, The Haven Home has been a women’s overflow shelter, but in March, it will reopen as a shelter for pregnant women. You can sign up to volunteer to help The Haven Home prepare for its reopening. Read more about The Haven Home in this issue.
I look forward to what we can all accomplish together in 2024.
Julian Rogers
Assistant Vice President, Local Government and Community Relations