Sage embodies the University’s commitment to serving students, engaging alumni, and contributing to the public good by partnering with a community locally. The program ensures that the many ideas developed by students through their coursework are shared with a wider audience, thereby ensuring a positive impact on the community and strengthening civic ties. The true benefit of the program is the positive attention, collaborative learning, and new momentum the partnership provides for students, faculty, city staff, and residents.

We help attract positive publicity, energy, and enthusiasm for the community partner by collaborating with SDSU. Sage Project staff coordinate with the press to generate media attention and interest in the partnership within the community, across the university, throughout the county, and both nationally and internationally.

Students can assist with community engagement, enhancing the community partner’s communication and outreach efforts.

The partnership helps to revitalize or revamp stagnant projects, implement cost-savings, or improve efficiency via efforts of a dedicated group of young minds and faculty experts who are focused on the community’s individual projects. The work done by students is creative and reflects new and innovative perspectives for the community partner that may otherwise be unavailable due to limited time and resources.

SDSU students can help to advocate and work for the community. The partnership involves education of highly engaged students with in-depth knowledge of the partner’s community. Participating students serve as knowledgeable voices in the community who educate other students, residents, business owners, and future employers about their experiences and their contributions to the partnership. Many students have accepted community internships and staff positions as a direct result of successful collaboration through the Sage Project.

Projects are consolidated into professionally prepared reports that the community can then use for decision-making. Students also present their designs, analyses, solutions, and recommendations to the community in a public format, drawing additional attention to the innovative projects and efforts.