University of Rochester
EN-13: Community Stakeholder Engagement

The University of Rochester’s Office of Government and Community Relations is focused on linking decision-makers with the assets and priorities of our institution and its affiliates. The Office of Government and Community Relations office helps coordinate the University’s legislative priorities, work to maintain relationships with elected and appointed officials, and partner with legislators and agencies on legislation or regulations that protect and enhance the missions and operations of the University. The groups also serves as an important gateway to the University for the surrounding community, connecting people with its resources and to enhance and continue partnerships. In addition to the Office of Government and Community Relations, leaders from Facilities and Services, Environmental Health and Safety, Residential Life and Transportation and Parking Management serve on various community associations.

Facilities and Services and Corporate Purchasing works with the Small Business Association to connect small local business owners with potential buyers of service. The University of Rochester Medical Center works with Monroe County Department of Public Health, Finger Lakes Health System Agency and Rochester Regional Health System to improve the health of the Monroe County residents. The partnership assures synergistic, non-duplicative meaningful strategic efforts towards the common goal of improving the population’s health in the Monroe Country community. The University of Rochester offers real world experience supervised by both community and faculty members – The Community Engagement Internship for Public Health Students course gives PH juniors and seniors a mentored community project under the auspices and supervision of a UR faculty member and community agency in Rochester, N.Y., working with an under-served population on an identified area of health promotion. Students spend eight hours per week working at their community site. A weekly seminar led by multiple faculty members gives academic support to the internship.

Mount Hope Business Association, Mount Hope Task Force, City of Rochester, Town of Brighton, Rochester Center for Community Leadership, Monroe County Department of Public Health, Finger Lakes Health System Agency, Plymouth Exchange Neighborhood Association. Others can be found at: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/community-health/community-partnerships/heart/community-partners.aspx and https://www.rochester.edu/college/rccl/about/partners.html

Some shared successes include: • Facilities and Services and Campus Planning Design and Construction Management worked with the Mount Hope Business Association and Mount Hope Task Force to keep lines of communication open and to jointly work on solving community issues – ie. Mount Hope Avenue reconstruction, on street parking, and landscaping enhancement of Mt. Hope median. In addition, they worked with the Town of Brighton and City of Rochester on the access 390, interchange reconstruction project. • Transportation and Parking Management worked with the Genesee Transportation Council to complete a Regional Bicycle Sharing study. • Transportation and Parking Management worked with Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA) to complete a Vanpool Feasibility Study. The program is approximately three months from implementation, with the U of R being a demonstration location for the implementation, • Transportation and Parking Management continually work with Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA) for bus service planning and implementation. • The University of Rochester partnered with the City of Rochester where a cycle track design in final stages with construction for late summer. • Residential Life works with students and neighbors as issues arise – mediation through the Neighborhood Ambassador Program. • The Dean of Students’ Off Campus Housing Committee engages both on campus and off campus students and staff to resolve issues; engages outside agencies to help support and deal with issues affecting the community. • Residential Life is involved with the Plymouth Exchange Neighborhood Association (PLEX) where they have worked on new development of student housing, a restaurant open to the public, and pedestrian and bikeway connections to the River Campus and City of Rochester.