CUMU HUDDLES

CUMU Huddles are informal, online learning communities for individuals from across the CUMU network to connect, learn, and collaborate around shared challenges and common goals. You can sign up for a CUMU Huddle at any time during the year.

2025 Huddles

Registration is open on a rolling basis—regardless if Huddle meetings have already started. Please register to participate in future meetings. 2025 Huddles include:

Community-Engaged Research Huddle

What infrastructures are necessary to grow, support, and sustain community-engaged research efforts? While building infrastructure often involves capacity development, it also requires the design and implementation of systems and norms that place people and communities at the center. Through collaborative discussion and problem-solving, this Huddle explores key frameworks and ideas within the context of participants’ community-engaged research projects, campuses, and communities. Topics may include metrics for community-engaged research, tenure and promotion, supporting researcher networks across scales, building systems for shared knowledge and resources, and frameworks for institutionalizing community engagement. Faculty, staff, graduate students, and anyone interested in or working on community-engaged research are welcome to join.

This Huddle begins in January 2025 and meets in the third week of each month, January through May. Dates and times subject to change.

  • Wednesday, January 22, 1 p.m. ET
    Situating community engaged research:     How do we situate community-engaged research in the context of academia?
  • Wednesday, February 19, 1 p.m. ET
    Initiating community-engaged research:     What resources are essential to marshal for launching impactful community-engaged research efforts?
  • Wednesday, March 26, 1 p.m. ET
    Incentivizing and protecting community engaged research:     How do we leverage the incentives structures for faculty and staff to support and ensure the success of community-engaged researchers and their efforts?
  • Wednesday, April 16, 1 p.m. ET
    Evaluating community-engaged research:     How do we evaluate community-engaged research efforts in light of community needs, the core values of the field, and institutional requirements?
  • Wednesday, May 21, 1 p.m. ET
    Sustaining community-engaged research:     Where do we go from here?

Jeremy Price, Ph.D. (he/him) is an associate professor of technology, innovation, and pedagogy at Indiana University Indianapolis. As a public scholar and collaborator, Dr. Price focuses on using his expertise to engage, build capacity, and cultivate capital in educational settings, particularly for marginalized and minoritized youth and communities. His work centers on developing infrastructures for community-engaged research and co-designing culturally responsive and sustaining generative AI systems in collaboration with educators and families to support inclusive and just educational practices.

Dr. Price is the 2024 CUMU–Collaboratory Fellow.

jeremy price
HUDDLE LEAD: Jeremy Price, Indiana University Indianapolis

Latine Student Communities Huddle

Latine student enrollment in colleges and universities is increasing, prompting institutions to explore new ways to support this growing community. How are institutional practices adapting to serve Latine students and contribute to economic prosperity in urban ecosystems? What effects do campuses experience when they cultivate Latine academic success, co-curricular engagement, and a sense of community belonging? Success in supporting a specific demographic group, such as Latine scholars, generates positive outcomes that enhance the experience for all students. Participants will hear from students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community leaders, engage in meaningful discussions, and develop a toolkit to support our collective efforts.

This Huddle meets in the fourth week of each month, January through May. Dates and times subject to change.

  • Thursday, January 30, 2 p.m. ET
    Students:     Introducing themes and exploring what works from the student perspective
  • Thursday, February 27, 2 p.m. ET
    Community partnerships:     Explore reciprocal community and family-centered partnerships with the Latine community
  • Thursday, March 20, 2 p.m. ET
    Faculty and staff:     Emerging and promising practices in both the classroom and in other areas, such as student affairs
  • Thursday, April 24, 2 p.m. ET
    Leadership:     Institutional supports that have proven results
  • Thursday, May 29, 2 p.m. ET
    Huddle members:     How are you inspired to take action?

Cynthia Carmina Gómez, MFA (she/ella) is the director of community impact at Portland State University. For 25 years, Cynthia has taught Latine-centric service-learning courses for PSU’s Senior Capstone program. Her passion for community engagement is rooted in her experience working for the anchor nonprofit Latino Network, previously as the director of civic leadership and today as a board member. This, combined with a decade-long director role overseeing PSU’s Cultural Resource Centers and her first-gen migrant background, informs her current efforts to build capacity and support engagement activities to impact student success outcomes. Cynthia is a native Spanish-speaking Meso-Mexican American raised on the U.S.–Mexico border.

cynthia carmina gomez
HUDDLE LEAD: Cynthia Carmina Gómez, Portland State University

Strategic Communications Huddle

Even the most impactful work happening on our campuses can go unnoticed unless we intentionally align communications with strategic priorities and collaborate with communication professionals on our campus. This Huddle aims to equip professionals from across campus to share their stories and amplify their impact. We will explore topics such as crafting compelling narratives, engaging with journalists and media outlets, using digital platforms to expand your reach, deciding on tools and metrics for assessing the impact of communication efforts, and sharing stories of belonging, equity, and inclusion in ways that connect with diverse audiences. Join us in these sessions to share your experiences, learn new strategies, and highlight the impactful work happening on your campus.

This Huddle meets in the third week of each month, February through June. Dates and times subject to change.

  • Thursday, Feb. 20, 3 p.m. ET
    Inclusive excellence
  • Thursday, Mar. 13, 3 p.m. ET
    Collaborative communications and strategic partnerships
  • Thursday, April 17, 3 p.m. ET
    Leveraging media relations
  • Thursday, May 22, 3 p.m. ET
    Leaning into your regional story
  • Thursday, June 26, 3 p.m. ET
    Empowering others to share your impact

Justin L. Roberts is associate vice chancellor for marketing and communications at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. Justin first joined the UMSL community in 2016 after serving five years as manager of strategic communications at the University of Missouri System. In his role, Roberts oversees the university’s strategic communication, public relations and content, paid advertising, creative services, and web and digital services efforts. Roberts has nearly 20 years of experience leading diverse teams in higher education marketing and communications where he is people-driven, student-centric, and outcome-oriented.

justin roberts
HUDDLE LEAD: Justin Roberts, University of Missouri–St. Louis

Sustainability and the Anchor Mission Huddle

Co-hosted by AASHE

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education logoHow do sustainability efforts and the anchor mission work together and reinforce institutional goals in higher education? Participants explore a variety of lenses for thinking about sustainability efforts and long-term regional impact. Guest conversation partners join each interactive session to introduce topics such as institutional data reporting, campus initiatives, community-based research, and regional collaboratives. Throughout the meetings, the group focuses on approaching challenges collaboratively and with an open mind, co-creating a vision, unique to each university context, of a sustainable, just future supported by sustainable anchor campuses. We welcome colleagues who work in sustainability or on anchor initiatives on their own campus as well as anyone who would like to learn more about these topics. This Huddle is open to members of CUMU and of AASHE.

This Huddle meets in the third week of each month, March through August. Dates and times subject to change.

  • Tuesday, March 25, 12 p.m. ET
    What do we mean when we say sustainability?
  • Tuesday, April 29, 12 p.m. ET
    The role of a university sustainability officer in anchor work
  • Tuesday, May 20, 12 p.m. ET
    Sharing powerful community-engaged research models
  • Tuesday, June 24, 12 p.m. ET
    Growing just collaborative regions and scaling climate action
  • Tuesday, August 12, 12 p.m. ET
    How can sustainability networks amplify anchor institution impact?

Caroline Burkholder is the senior sustainability manager at Temple University’s Office of Sustainability. She facilitates the implementation of the university’s climate action plan and institutional sustainability reporting. She oversees the development of strategic communication campaigns and engagement programs to increase the visibility of Temple’s climate commitment and improve sustainability and environmental justice literacy on campus. Caroline previously worked as a political campaign strategist, most recently serving as the Pennsylvania State Director of Defend Our Future, the campus climate action organizing project of the Environmental Defense Fund. Caroline holds a Master of Arts in Urban Bioethics from Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine.

Ruthie Yow, Ph.D., is the associate director at Georgia Tech’s Center for Sustainable Communities Research and Education (SCoRE), with a courtesy appointment in the School of History and Sociology. During her time at Georgia Tech, she has focused on cultivating strong community partnerships and supporting a vision of sustainability education and research that centers equity and justice. She serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute and of Marietta YELLS (Youth Empowerment through Learning, Leading, and Serving). She has a Ph.D. in American Studies and African American Studies from Yale University.

caroline burkholder
HUDDLE Co-LEAD: Caroline Burkholder, Temple University
ruthie yow
HUDDLE Co-LEAD: Ruthie Yow, Georgia Tech

2024 Huddles

HUDDLE LEAD: Bill Cook, director, Office of Community Development, Weber State University

Institutions committed to an anchor mission intentionally apply their economic power and human capital in a long-term partnership with their local communities to improve mutual well-being. The Anchor Mission Huddle is open to individuals from CUMU member institutions working to sustain and/or expand anchor initiatives on their campus. Participants meet monthly to a) explore how higher education institutions effectively implement strategic anchor initiatives by addressing a series of conundrums or difficult questions, and b) to build a community of colleagues across the CUMU network.

HUDDLE LEAD: Henry R. Cunningham, director of community engagement, University of Louisville

Professionals engaged in any aspect of community engagement are invited to be part of the Community Engagement Huddle to explore key issues in community engagement, learn how others are effectively navigating those issues, and discuss our own challenges and successes. As part of our efforts to gain a better understanding of community engagement, this Huddle focuses on topics such as developing and sustaining partnerships from a multidisciplinary perspective, the institutionalization of engagement, and the impact of engagement on various stakeholders and constituents in community engaged work. In addition, as scholar-administrators we will discuss how to write about our work for publication and why that is important for the field.

HUDDLE LEAD: Brian Sturdivant, director of strategic initiatives and community partnerships, University of Maryland Baltimore

The K-12 Partnership Huddle explores how to form and maintain mutually beneficial K-12 partnerships. From initiating partnerships to building on existing successes, how do universities ensure close ties with surrounding K-12 schools? Together, we explore a wide range of partnership types with a variety of purposes. Meetings include a short presentation by an invited guest and then Huddle participants have opportunities to ask questions, share successes, and connect with others doing similar work.

HUDDLE LEAD: Michelle Meggs, executive director, Women + Girls Research Alliance, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

How do we know that our efforts with and within communities are having the impact we intend? In the Impact Huddle, guest presenters explore topics including research methodology, campus and system-wide approaches to tracking and assessing impact; program evaluation; data utilization to shape policy and practice; and novel or effective communication techniques for telling the story. Participants have opportunities to learn from and interact with guest presenters and with each other as we explore how to measure and communicate impact in our own settings.

2023 Huddles

HUDDLE LEAD: Viridiana Diaz, vice president for student affairs, Cal State San Marcos

Higher education continues to be the strongest avenue for upward social and economic mobility and, as CUMU institutions, we have a unique and significant role to play in serving diverse students and helping them succeed across the graduation finish line. With COVID-19 and its many interconnected impacts continuing to place barriers in front of students, how are we rethinking our services, programs and other student-facing processes with fresh eyes and a student-ready perspective? And how are these efforts increasing our students’ capacity to transcend barriers faced by earlier generations and unlock their potential for lifelong success?

HUDDLE LEAD: Jennifer Kebea, president, Campus Philly

CUMU members are examining their role as job creators to fill their own vacancies and needs, but also to support regional and industry demands. How is higher education responding to and leading the way to reimagine how we educate, train, and prepare the employees and leaders needed for tomorrow? How are we partnering with cities to attract and retain our students in the cities we call home? This CUMU Huddle will explore how our members are addressing pressing human capital demands, leading workforce development recovery in justice-oriented ways, and employing innovative local hiring strategies—all while grappling with the “Great Resignation” in their communities and on their campuses.

HUDDLE LEAD: Amber Gonzalez, associate professor, child and adolescent development, Sacramento State

Hispanic students are entering the nation’s colleges and universities at increasing rates, influencing the growth in the number of institutions eligible for federal designation as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). As more of our campuses are achieving this designation and serving a more diverse student body than ever before, how do our practices align with the needs of our students? This CUMU Huddle is intended for higher education professionals from current and emerging HSIs seeking to deepen their understanding of Hispanic servingness.

HUDDLE LEAD: Emily Janke, director, Institute for Community and Economic Engagement, UNC Greensboro

Understanding, Improving, and Sharing Our Work for Change: In this CUMU Huddle, we will explore best practices and next practices across a broad array of evaluation practices, broadly defined. We will explore the role of evaluation and how scholar-administrators can use it to understand, advance, and sustain partnerships, programs, and structures to support community engagement. We will have opportunities to share successes and struggles across our institutions, and will bring in speakers who are exploring the frontiers of this work.

2022 Huddles

HUDDLE LEAD: Paul Kuttner, associate director, University Neighborhood Partners, University of Utah

Evaluation—seeking to understand what we are accomplishing and holding ourselves accountable for doing what we intend to do—can be a powerful learning process. It can be a chance to build self-knowledge, improve practice, and dialogue with partners. It can also satisfy funding requirements and help make the case to our institutions for continued support. Documenting and telling our stories can draw in new partners, connect people across projects, and inform larger movements for community engagement and social change.

However, evaluation comes with many challenges, such as the different data demands of stakeholders and scarcity of time and resources. More fundamentally, Western, neoliberal frameworks for quantifying “outcomes” and “impact” are often at odds with the complex, relational, humanistic, and transformative nature of partnership work. In this CUMU Huddle, we will explore best practices and next practices in evaluating and documenting community-campus partnerships. We will have opportunities to share successes and struggles across our institutions, and will bring in speakers who are exploring the frontiers of this work. Our agenda will be guided by the interests of those who participate. Join us!

HUDDLE LEAD: Crystal Montalvo, College of Staten Island, CUNY

New and aspiring HSI’s often work on becoming an HSI in status and practice through asset-based and participatory frames; placing students and the communities they come from at the center of our efforts. Community engagement professionals have a critical role to play, and a unique expertise that could serve the asset-based and participatory goals of this institutional transition from PWI to HSI. Moreover, as we partner with our surrounding communities in reciprocal and asset-based ways, what would it mean if our HSI status was an intentional pillar of our community engagement, and existing place-based and anchor mission initiatives?

This CUMU Huddle is intended for community engagement professionals seeking to share their stories, and explore the complexities, challenges, and opportunities presented for our PWIs in transition

HUDDLE LEAD: Jacen Greene, co-founder and assistant director, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University

Homelessness and housing insecurity are pressing issues not just in our broader community, but also in our campus communities as well. National estimates by The Hope Center at Temple University show that 14% of college and university students recently experienced homelessness, and nearly half experienced housing insecurity. In a multi-institution survey, The Hope Center also found that 8% of instructional staff had experienced homelessness, and a third had experienced housing insecurity. Nationwide, more than 580,000 people experience homelessness on any given night. Among students, faculty, staff, and members of the broader community, homelessness disproportionately impacts people of color and other groups most affected by historical and current marginalization and discrimination.

This group brings together faculty, staff, and administrators from across the CUMU network to share resources and best practices, discuss promising new approaches, and develop research projects to better understand and address homelessness and housing insecurity among students, employees, and the broader community.

HUDDLE LEAD: John Kirby Jr, executive director, Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, Drexel University

Place-based Community Engagement Professionals (CEPs) who are leading neighborhood-embedded engagement-initiatives will find like-minded people and voices at the Hyperlocal Directors Huddle. This CUMU Huddle will not only center shared experiences unique to directors and other CEPs, but will also ground efforts in equity and social justice, relationship building, operations and procedures, strengths-based approaches, and more, with the hope of uncovering how the group’s hyperlocal community engagements contribute to transformative outcomes. How are we making a difference?