Our Mission & History

The mission of the LSU Office of Community-University Partnerships is to maintain community relevancy through outreach. We build relationships between campus and community groups, activists, schools, and interfaith networks. Through our efforts, we strive to promote civic engagement, increase cultural competency, challenge historic sentiment, and develop new strategies to accommodate the changing demographics of our community.  

 

As an urban institution, LSU is committed to using its extensive resources to solve economic, environmental and social challenges. The Office of Community-University Partnerships (CUP) exhibits the University's Commitment to Community in a variety of these areas, with a concentrated focus on Old South Baton Rouge and the neighborhoods immediately north of LSU's campus.

In 2001, LSU received a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Outreach Partnership Center. The programmatic initiatives centered on community organization, economic development and neighborhood revitalization. Through various campus and community partnerships, CUP combines the resources of LSU with the strengths of the area to promote a stronger, more economically sustainable community.

Funded at an additional $200,000 in 2005, CUP began to focus on youth development and home ownership while continuing many of the programs established in the original grant.

CUP is housed within the Office of Academic Affairs.