Created by the Provost in 2000, the Office of University-Community Partnerships (OUCP) integrates Emory University's teaching, research, and service missions with the needs of metro Atlanta. OUCP has three primary objectives:

1. To increase awareness and collaboration between the Emory University community (faculty, staff, students, alumni, and trustees) and the metro Atlanta community, by providing the “hub” where both communities meet;

2. To encourage and assist faculty in developing academic-based, service learning courses, thereby furthering the scholarship of engagement at Emory; and

3. To provide for Emory students explicit and focused pathways that connect and sequence their service activities, coursework, and research, so as to encourage them to choose careers that promote social responsibility, civic engagement, and public service.

Through academic courses, research programs, and service projects, OUCP has connected community groups, organizations, and agencies to Emory faculty, staff, and students who could assist them in addressing a specific concern or need. In addition, OUCP has promoted scholarship in the public interest by mobilizing and focusing Emory's intellectual capital on issues of critical importance to the metro Atlanta region.

Through its public events (e.g., workshops, symposia, and conferences), OUCP has concentrated on the transfer and application of knowledge in specific, substantive areas. Events have featured an overview of what was known about a topic, profiles of the topic’s best practices, and discussion of how best practices can be adapted to metro Atlanta. The sessions have aimed to increase understanding of critical issues among key stakeholders in specific areas. At the same time, OUCP’s public events have fostered a greater sense of collaboration among those stakeholders. Indeed, OUCP has developed a relationship with key stakeholders by providing technical assistance and research support to move new ideas and promising practices forward. Such actions have prompted the support of funding agencies for OUCP’s innovative and effective programs. OUCP has, of course, provided a means to evaluate and asses the effectiveness of new ideas and practices, fine-tuning and adjusting accordingly.