Engagement is at the heart of an urban public research university, it is also at the heart of FIU’s commitment to our community, both locally and globally. At FIU, faculty, staff and students work closely with our partners addressing the relevant issues of our time. Last year, thousands of students and hundreds of faculty and staff collaborated with members of the community on a range of issues, contributing more than 550,000 service hours to hundreds of service projects. FIU’s Office of Engagement was established in February 2010 as part of President Mark B. Rosenberg’s vision of FIU as "a leading student-centered urban public research university that is locally and globally engaged." The office provides leadership for the development and coordination of partnerships at the local, state, national and international levels with the goal of aligning FIU’s instructional, research and creative initiatives with local and global needs and priorities.