{"id":2540,"date":"2025-08-25T20:56:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T20:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/?p=2540"},"modified":"2026-05-01T00:49:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T05:49:56","slug":"fall-2025-partnerships-and-community-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/fall-2025-partnerships-and-community-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"Fall 2025 Partnerships and Community Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Monica Smith is assistant to the president for community engagement, responsible for developing and supporting relationships with a broad range of community and civic organizations\u2014including those in arts, culture, and history; religious organizations; and community support\u2014and cultivating a campus environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging. This, to me, is a very critical position as we continue to move forward in bringing the community closer to the University and fostering deeper engagement both inside and outside our campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some updates from this area: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Launch of Community Engagement Webpage: Community Engagement unveiled its inaugural webpage, serving as a centralized hub for connecting campus and community engagement opportunities. This platform (communityengagement.mtsu.edu<\/a>) offers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Clear pathways for external organizations to propose and develop partnerships with the University<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Curated resources for students, faculty, staff, and community partners<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Tools and guidance for faculty engaged in community-based teaching and research<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Information on experiential learning initiatives such as EXL and the recently rebranded Engage<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Timely updates on events, grants, and civic initiatives<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Alignment with strategic University goals through a focus on collaboration<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Metrics for tracking engagement and impact<\/p>\n\n\n\n

True Blue Community Training: In collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Media and Entertainment, Community Engagement facilitated tailored training sessions delivered by faculty to meet the specific needs of local congregations and faith- based leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community Engagement Advisory Group (CEAG): Under Smith\u2019s leadership, this advisory group advanced key initiatives aimed at strengthening campus culture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022\u201cGet to Know Your MTSU\u201d Series: Launched by the Campus Workforce Committee, this monthly series offers themed events designed to promote employee engagement, foster belonging, and deepen professional and personal connections within the MTSU workforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Open Education Week 2025: Led by its Academic and Student Success Committee, CEAG hosted this weeklong event (March 3\u20137) to spotlight the role of affordable learning in student success. Sessions emphasized the impact of open educational resources (OER) and zero textbook cost (ZTC) courses at MTSU, reinforcing the University\u2019s commitment to accessible education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Walk to End Alzheimer\u2019s: In partnership with the Alzheimer\u2019s Association, MTSU hosted more than 300 community members on campus for the Walk to End Alzheimer\u2019s. This event raised critical awareness and funding to support Alzheimer\u2019s care, research, and advocacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022Pilot of \u201cShorten the Mile\u201d Shuttle Service: In partnership with Main Street Murfreesboro, the department launched a Saturday shuttle service connecting campus to the Murfreesboro square. The initiative encourages student participation in the Saturday Market and fosters a stronger sense of belonging within the broader community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monica Smith is assistant to the president for community engagement, responsible for developing and supporting relationships with a broad range of community and civic organizations\u2014including those in arts, culture, and history; religious organizations; and community support\u2014and cultivating a campus environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging. This, to me, is a very critical position […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":192,"featured_media":2542,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/192"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2540"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2969,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2540\/revisions\/2969"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mtsu.edu\/president\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}