08-09 Annual Report

Community Engagement and BRAC Strengthening community ties by building new coalitions, establishing new partnerships, and solidifying relationships with community agencies has been a major thrust for the university.

The university has strengthened ties with national funding agencies, state and federal legislators, city officials, charitable organizations, and still serves as part of the leadership team for the Greater Fayetteville Futures II Project. Faculty and staff engagement enabled FSU to sign memorandums of understanding with E.E. Smith High School, and partnership agreements with Fayetteville Technical Community College and UNC Pembroke.

The community embraced the Chancellor’s Speakers Series, which adopted a thematic approach for inquiry during a year of political activism, featuring Roland Martin and Michael Steele in October, and Donna Brazile in November. The university has strengthened its partnership with both the Arts Council and the Fayetteville Symphony.

FSU has positioned itself to take the leadership role in BRAC initiatives for the southeastern region of North Carolina. BRAC RTF (Base Realignment and Closure-Regional Task Force) was formed among 11 contiguous county governments including Cumberland County, and the 72 municipalities in the BRAC RTF region. The members of this organization, which includes FSU, are planning and preparing for the BRAC transfer and its impact on the region as related to education, workforce and economic development, housing, and transportation. FSU will be the lead institution in the establishment of the Center for Defense and Homeland Security, which will be a major collaborative effort with the U.S. Department of Defense, Fayetteville Technical Community College and other area community colleges, some member UNC institutions, BRAC RTF, and Fort Bragg.

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