USF's Community Focus Sparks New Partnerships

By Tina Meketa, University Communications and Marketing

Christian Wells is a known commodity in the Tampa Bay region. The professor of anthropology is deeply embedded in organizations such as the University Area Community Development Corp. - helping identify areas with troubled wastewater management - and working with city planners and engineers to bring clean water to families' faucets.

His collaborations are far-reaching, obtaining multimillion dollar federal grants, attracting philanthropic gifts, uniting researchers from various disciplines across USF and providing students experience in seeing firsthand what they've learned in the classroom unfold in the field.

Harvest Hope Park volunteer event

Area residents regularly meet with Wells

Wells researches environmental impact

"I love working with our community partners because it allows me to teach my students how to think upstream - how to prevent environmental problems from developing in the first place. In this way, community engagement is an important part of my teaching because students learn that those who are closer to the problem are often closer to the solution.

Sarah Combs, chief executive officer of the UACDC

"Christian Wells' dedication to improving wastewater management and ensuring access to clean water for families in the University Area Community is a testament to his unwavering commitment to public health and social justice," said Sarah Combs, chief executive officer of the UACDC. "His tireless efforts not only benefit our community today but lay the foundation for a healthier, more equitable future for generations to come. It is partnerships like this that show how research is affecting practice in a way that is measurable and impactful."

There are countless examples like this at USF, where the university's more than 2,000 faculty members have built mutually beneficial connections with community organizations, government agencies and industry - many of which have overlapping missions.

It's been about a year since USF launched the Office of University Community Partnerships and the results have already proven what's possible when people of different disciplines unite. Community-facing members from across the university are coming together for the first time and sharing their experiences and contacts. The OUCP is already finding success in building a more streamlined intake process in connecting USF with an array of partners.

"USF is experiencing a unique historical moment in terms of its evolution - both its attractiveness and its brand visibility around the world. While we are already one of America's leading research universities, we seek to define ourselves in ways that serve the myriad of the needs, priorities and interests of our community. We want to take a concierge-like approach and act as a one-stop shop for anyone who wants to access USF's expertise."

Eric Eisenberg

Senior Vice President for University-Community Partnerships

Indra Sandal, chief of innovation at the Tampa VA medical center, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

It helped facilitate the Veterans Health-MIT Hacking Medicine event hosted by the Tampa VA Medical Center at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine last year - a large-scale event that drew hundreds of health care professionals and students to the region. OUCP also led a successful effort at Synapse, Tampa's premier technology conference, that brought various units from USF that have historically been scattered throughout Amalie Arena, into a singular space - making it more evident than ever that the region is home to a powerhouse for innovation.

"Diverse participation in innovation programs drives the most creative results and engaging the Tampa Bay innovation community is vital to bring diversity to solve veterans' health challenges," said Indra Sandal, chief of innovation at the Tampa VA medical center, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. "USF is a critical collaborator to not only provide diversity of health care experts, but to connect VA's innovation ecosystem to Tampa's best and brightest innovators throughout the region,"

Cyber Florida at USF

USF Research Park

"The exposure our lifelong learning units have been getting since the formation of our new office has been amazing." - Mark Koulianos, assistant vice president of Lifelong Learning

USF's interdisciplinary expertise and partnerships in the cybersecurity sector can be felt across the university, home to Cyber Florida, as well as Reliaquest Labs in the Muma College of Business and Rapid7 Cyber Intelligence Laboratory in the College of Engineering. The interest in USF is becoming increasingly apparent in the USF Research Park, especially since USF became a member of the Association of American Universities, formalizing its position as a leading research university. The USF Office of Corporate Partnerships has been fielding calls from businesses that want to be part of USF's growth - some through renting lab space, others that want to elevate their employees' skillsets by utilizing USF's many professional training opportunities and certificate programs.

Amazon employee earned his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification from USF

"We have trained individuals and teams in some of the area's biggest companies, such as Amazon's TPA 1 distribution center," said Mark Koulianos, assistant vice president of Lifelong Learning at the Office of University Community Partnerships. " I am constantly telling leaders in the Tampa startup community that for long-term success and even quickening you time to market, spend the money on training now as you build your company's foundation, enhance project management skills for all employees and people management skills in your leadership team. The payoff will be enormous in the future."

USF's collaboration with entrepreneurial support organizations Embarc Collective and Tampa Bay Wave is helping tech start-ups find success in Tampa Bay. They've co-launched several accelerator programs with USF including in the health care, finance and environmental tech industries.

Linda Olson, president of Tampa Bay Wave

"At Tampa Bay Wave, where we are 'Built for Founders, Fueled by Community,' we are thrilled to collaborate with USF - a partnership that exemplifies our commitment to fostering a vibrant ecosystem for startups," said Linda Olson, president of Tampa Bay Wave. "This synergy has not only enabled us to launch impactful accelerator programs across multiple sectors, but has also significantly contributed to our recognition as the No. 1 startup accelerator in Florida. It's a testament to what we can achieve together for the Tampa Bay community and beyond. Our collaboration is a prime example of how aligning efforts can amplify our impact, enhancing opportunities for entrepreneurs and innovators to thrive."

Tampa General Hospital, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine's primary teaching hospital, is broadening how it works with the university in a number of ways. Together, they've partnered with the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council to establish the Tampa Medical and Research District - an epicenter of life sciences in downtown Tampa - helping attract talent and promote the region as a global destination for world-class health care and cutting edge medical research.

People Development Institute [Photo courtesy: USF Health and Tampa General Hospital]

The institutions are addressing the critical shortage of primary care through the launch of the USF Health Tampa General Hospital Family Medicine Residency program and they've co-created the People Development Institute, in which faculty from the Muma College of Business and across the university are teaching non-clinical courses to all TGH employees from security officers to surgeons.

David Howard, director of the TGH-USF People Development Institute

"We are so fortunate at Tampa General Hospital to be able to partner with USF in what I consider an exemplar of a university-community partnership," said David Howard, director of the TGH-USF People Development Institute. "Our entire health system of nearly 14,000 team members has free access to professional development classes taught by the wonderful faculty from the Muma College of Business and other USF colleges. This partnership truly betters our health system and community by educating our people in the areas they most want personal and professional development."

The USF Health College of Nursing also partnered with Port Tampa Bay to become the first port in the world to establish a nurse-managed clinic to provide health care for thousands of seafarers - many of whom are from impoverished countries and unable to access reliable health care. Seafarers are international maritime workers aboard cargo and cruise ships who are sometimes at sea for months at a time.

Port of Tampa Seafarers Center Clinic opened in May 2024

USF's collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense has put it on the fast-track to leading the global and national security space. In the fall, USF signed two of its largest defense contracts with U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command, bringing together interdisciplinary faculty experts to conduct research. The USF Institute of Applied Engineering also signed an educational agreement to conduct research for the U.S. Army and secure students internships, providing them a competitive edge in landing careers.

The IAE is expediting the process of engineering innovation through the launch of the Rapid Experimentation Lab, which was supported by Hillsborough County. It's also working with several small businesses, such as Mobius Logic, to help drive efforts to create new cybersecurity technologies for the U.S. Air Force.

Darren Schumacher, president and CEO of the Institute of Applied Engineering, and USF President Rhea Law

MacDill Air Force base headquarters in Tampa [Photo courtesy: MacDill Air Force base]

Jing Wang, professor of electrical engineering, and Ugur Guneroglu, graduate student

"An AAU research university is a complex organism, and often the key to expanding opportunities for our researchers and our students is bringing people from far-flung corners of the university and the greater Tampa area together in a timely manner," said Darren Schumacher, president and CEO of the Institute of Applied Engineering.

Bulls Family Fest 2024

Such partnerships help strengthen the nation and the economy, provide solutions for a sustainable environment and improve access to health care. Faculty across disciplines have maintained ongoing partnerships with area hospitals and are actively involved in helping build stronger curriculum K-12 schools.

The OUCP is leading efforts to open USF's door to the community, hosting the second annual Bulls Family Fest. Taking place on the Tampa campus on March 1, families and the public can immerse themselves in many opportunities available at USF and in Tampa Bay - from educational and cultural activities to sports and entertainment.

To continue building stronger partnerships, the OUCP launched a new Customer Relationship Management tool this past summer. To compliment the CRM, the office plans to create a portal to help faculty catalog their partnerships, forge new interdisciplinary alliances, measure their impact and find new opportunities to make a difference - the heart of USF's mission as a community-engaged research university.

Read the Office of University Community Partnership's annual report

Partner with USF

Check out more articles about USF's many community partnerships