Faculty, staff, and students from across Indiana University campuses gathered at the IU Bloomington campus for the 2025 IU Statewide Community Engagement Institute, a full day dedicated to building stronger partnerships, sharing innovative practices, and deepening community-engaged work across the state.
Hosted by the IU Center for Rural Engagement and the IU Indianapolis Office of Community Engagement, the event featured a dynamic lineup of speakers, panelists, and interactive sessions designed to foster collaboration and impact.
Keynote speaker Andrew Furco, Director of the International Center for Research on Community Engagement and former Associate Vice President for Public Engagement at the University of Minnesota, opened the day with a powerful message on the importance of institutionalizing community engagement across R1 and regional campuses. Drawing from the University of Minnesota’s experience since 2002, he shared actionable strategies to strengthen similar efforts at other institutions.
Panels of IU staff and community partners shared real-world examples of community-engaged partnerships, highlighting lessons learned and opportunities for future growth.
A poster session showcased diverse community-based projects from IU campuses, celebrating the breadth and depth of engagement work happening across Indiana.
Attendees participated in the interactive session, ‘Cultivating Collaboration,’ aimed at identifying ways to enhance collaboration within the university, with community partners, and across the state.
The day concluded with closing remarks by E. Scott Lee, Chair of Criminal Justice and Political Science at IU East.
This year’s theme, Engage Today. Impact Tomorrow., captured the spirit of the day and the collective commitment to long-term impact through meaningful partnerships.
Photos and highlights: View photo gallery
Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this year’s event a success!