A Pillar of the Community
Enhancing FSU’s impact and presence in MetroWest
Max Hobart of the MetroWest Symphony Orchestra checking out the acoustics of the FSU concert hall.
While some might view this as a compliment, FSU President Nancy S. Niemi is working hard to ensure that the “hidden” part of that description no longer applies.
“Our purpose is to serve the public good, and part of that is being a pillar of our community,” Dr. Niemi says. “It behooves the institution to have a visible and strong presence, and find ways to enhance and expand our private and public community partnerships.”
In fact, the University’s new five-year strategic plan underscores this point within its first goal, with a stated objective to “more fully and deeply integrate FSU in the civic, cultural, economic, educational and intellectual life of Framingham and the MetroWest region in mutually beneficial ways.”
Niemi says that regional public universities are often described as “stewards of place” because they are deeply intertwined with the communities they serve, acting as both catalysts for progress and guardians of local identity.
“Framingham State is uniquely positioned to address regional challenges by fostering economic development, promoting social mobility and nurturing a skilled workforce tailored to the area’s needs,” she says.
New partnerships with community organizations are being forged, such as the MetroWest Symphony Orchestra, which recently began holding its concerts in the Dwight Performing Arts Center. The University is also seeking to better connect campus to the shops, museums and businesses along Route 9.
The FSU Civic Engagement and Service Learning Center helps get FSU students out in the community.
“I would like more of a college-town atmosphere around campus and part of that is having somewhere for students to walk to grab lunch or go shopping,” says Niemi. “Those businesses exist along Route 9, and we also have the Danforth Art Museum off the Framingham Centre Common, but that feeling of connection and access from our campus needs to be stronger.”
Another early initiative is revitalizing the University’s Civic Engagement and Service Learning Center under the direction of Associate Professor Chu Ly, from the Education Department. Ly has been working to make the center, located in O’Connor Hall, more visible on campus by meeting with faculty and student leaders. The center led a “get out the vote” initiative last fall by providing information and transportation to early voting in the lead-up to the presidential election. A community engagement working group has also been formed, as well as a partnership with the MetroWest Nonprofit Network.
“We really want to move our community toward a culture of civic and community engagement, with the center as the nexus of that work,” Ly says. “Some of this is done by shining a spotlight on the work already happening in our classrooms and breaking down silos that exist. But we also want to build the capacity of faculty and students to engage in more of this work through professional development and by facilitating more service-learning opportunities.”
Niemi wants to further align the University’s educational offerings with the needs of the surrounding community, including adult learners seeking to advance in their careers and the large Brazilian population within Framingham.
“We can better serve the community by providing residents what they need through the vehicle we have, which is education,” says Niemi. “Whether it’s community language testing or adult-learner college completion programs, we have the infrastructure for learning. Why not use it?”
