University of Delaware (USA)

The University of Delaware (UD) is a flagship state institution located at the center of the East Coast, midway between Washington, D.C. and New York City.  With roots that extend to 1743 and designations as a Land Grant, Sea Grant, and Space Grant institution, UD has a rich history of scholarship, research, teaching, and service.  The University is a mid-sized institution offering 147 undergraduate programs, 119 master’s programs, 54 doctoral programs, and 15 dual graduate programs through seven colleges and in collaboration with more than 70 research centers. Delaware’s student body encompasses more than 17,000 undergraduates and 3,600 graduate students from across the country and around the globe.

A Fully Engaged Campus

One of the core missions of the University of Delaware is to engage students, faculty, staff and alumni in the most compelling challenges of our age. UD has pledged to apply our research and human talent to solve pressing economic, environmental, social, civic and scientific problems—in Delaware, in the region and around the world.  Among the University’s greatest strengths is its long and vibrant tradition of public service. Last year, an annual community engagement survey revealed over 375 programs with 300 unique community partners.  The vast majority of Delaware students are involved in community engagement, as members of service learning classes, as researchers in community-based research projects, and as volunteers in co-curricular activities. Faculty are encouraged to participate via departmental-level policies for promotion and tenure that specifically reward faculty scholarly work that uses community-engaged approaches and methods.  UD has been named to the U.S. President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for six consecutive years and has received the honor “with distinction” for three of those years.

Supporting our Community

The University of Delaware will continue to build world-class research and service programs. The following entities serve as coordinating hubs for community engagement at the University, the Office of Service Learning, the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, the School of Public Policy and Administration, and the Institute for Global Studies.   The Office of Undergraduate Research & Experimental Learning and UD’s  Center for Community Research & Service also provide valuable resources yet the University approaches community engagement as a University-wide responsibility. From bringing chamber music into Delaware schools, to devising a sun-powered filtration system providing clean drinking water to villages in Cameroon, myriad engagement opportunities and their impact can be found at www.udel.edu/engage.