A Year of Action for G2U
In spite of its extraordinary uncertainty and disruption, 2020 has been a year of impact and expansion for the Volcker Alliance’s Government-to-University (G2U) Initiative. I hope this brief update can be helpful in catching up on how the Initiative has developed and provided some new opportunities to engage in 2021 and beyond.
G2U addresses critical governance challenges by building regional networks of governments and universities to sustainably connect government’s hiring and research needs with local university capacity. We continue to be excited about the difference G2U is making as, now more than ever, the need to leverage all of a community’s resources to tackle pressing public challenges is apparent.
In 2020, we expanded significantly and today we have five G2U sites—in Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh. With support from the Volcker Alliance, each site has convened a network of partners to advance important work and strengthen G-U collaboration. For instance, in North Carolina, our G2U partners are working to launch an online portal that connects government practitioners who have pressing analytic and research questions to university researchers who can help them find answers. In Pittsburgh, our partners are launching a public service messaging campaign on social media to make the case for the full suite of career opportunities in government throughout the region. Our team is pleased to provide financial and technical support for these and other important projects.
We hope that you will avail yourself of new opportunities to engage with the G2U network.
I invite you to join our G2U Network Conversations, where network members and innovative national leaders connect with one another on cutting-edge approaches to strengthening the talent pipeline into government and research collaboratives between governments and universities. We also invite you to sign up to receive dispatches from the G2U Resource Exchange, a roundup of the best ideas percolating from G-U partnerships around the country.
As G2U continues to grow, we hope to connect with partners who are playing a role in strengthening government-university collaborations so we can learn from other communities’ valuable insights and about opportunities in new regions. If you wish to learn more about partnering with G2U to make a difference in your area, I invite you to reach out directly at pmorrissey@volckeralliance.org.
