Above: National University System Chancellor Dr. Michael R. Cunningham congratulates students, staff and faculty of NU Academy 1001 STEAM for their great work, following a presentation at the San Diego Unified School District.

Contributing to Local Communities Through Rewarding Partnerships

As a student-centered educational system, we remain focused on aligning our programs and services to meet the needs of the students and communities we serve. Further engaging the community to establish deep industry partnerships enables us to better understand current employer demands and offer our students world-class, market-relevant programs to make them more competitive in the 21st–Century global workforce.

CityU has developed a number of key partnerships throughout the region, including with several of Washington’s premier private employers and its largest military base. As workforce development remains a priority to the National University System and CityU, we are continuing to create innovative programs and degree pathways to support university partners and lifelong learning. Recently established partnerships with the Education Development Institute (EDI) and Tukwila School District enable us to provide support for leaders and educators. The EDI partnership is creating a new pathway for participants to achieve a Master of Education in Leadership at CityU, and the TSD partnership is helping train the next generation of school district leaders.

As a nonprofit institution, we are ambassadors devoted to our local communities, partnering to provide resources and support to local businesses and organizations. Through the Sanford Programs, three programs inspired by the vision of renowned philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, we are able to address critical needs in the education and nonprofit sectors. The Sanford Institute of Philanthropy at City University of Seattle was established to offer a range of high-quality educational opportunities to further strengthen nonprofit organizations throughout Washington State. Building on the momentum of the Institute, we are very excited about the first CityU-Sanford Institute of Philanthropy event outside of the state of Washington, which takes place later this month. We’ve partnered with the Idaho Community Foundation to inspire and teach nonprofits in Boise, ID how to become more effective at fundraising and cultivating donor relationships.

Another way the National University System is pleased to be in and of the local community, and to prepare students for future careers, is through our public, tuition-free K-12 charter schools. One of these, NU Academy 1001 STEAM, was recently unanimously approved to be its own charter school under its new authorizer, San Diego Unified School District. The program offers innovative approaches to preparing a diverse group of students in grades 6-12 preparation in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM).

I want to thank our exceptional students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners for their commitment to serving and empowering others and to being lifelong learners who continue to positively impact our society.