News
March 19, 2019UAlbany and United Way of the Greater Capital Region Partner to Advance Culture of Engagement
University at Albany students, faculty and staff will have real-time access to community engagement and service opportunities, thanks to a partnership between the University and the United Way of the Greater Capital Region (UWGCR).
A shared online platform, EngageUAlbany, will connect the region’s public research university community to service opportunities in the Capital District. The platform will not only allow these users to connect with myriad opportunities, but also allow users to create personal engagement preferences, become a fan of specific agencies, track and verify volunteer hours, and develop a service resume.
“This new collaboration with United Way allows us to connect with real-time community service opportunities where we can offer our experience, talents, and expertise,” said UAlbany President, Havidán Rodríguez. “The EngageUAlbany platform also helps us to become more data-driven as we assess the impact of our engagement and service initiatives and activities in the Capital Region.”
The opportunities represent an aggregate of more than 100 partner organizations collaborating with the United Way, the area’s recognized leader in philanthropic and volunteer resources. The shared platform is unprecedented in our region with the goal of supporting new connections and opportunities.
United Way of the Greater Capital Region launched their UnitedToVolunteer.org portal in 2016 to address the need from local companies to discover volunteer opportunities.
“We are continually looking for a way to promote volunteerism in our community. This partnership with University at Albany was a natural given President Rodríguez’s mission for the university community,” said UWGCR President & CEO Peter Gannon. “Collaboration amongst community leaders is critical to solve the problems we see every day.”
Currently, approximately 30 UAlbany fraternity and sorority groups are early adopters of the platform, but the University aims to achieve 100 percent participation by faculty, staff and students within four years. In 2018, the UAlbany community contributed more than 12,500 hours to the community in service.
