The University of Notre Dame will soon be working with communities in Elkhart and St. Joseph counties to pair local problems with possible solutions.
The Center for Civic Innovation will reach out to communities to find out what problems might be solved by research or project going on at the University.
Director Jay Brockman said the center is meant to foster partnerships and reach solutions together.
“We don’t have the perspective that all the answers are contained in the University or that we’re the smartest game in town. We know that there’s a lot of expertise and knowledge in the community and we really want to tap into that. We’re not presuming that we have all the answers by ourselves.”
Brockman said he hopes the center can address a wide range of problems from housing and education to environmental cleanup.
It will also give Notre Dame students and researchers a real word place to apply and test what they’re studying.