California State University, Chico
IN-24: Innovation A

The Resilient Cities Initiative (RCI) is an interdisciplinary applied research think-tank for cities established by the Institute for Sustainable Development at California State University, Chico in 2016. The RCI connects real-world community sustainability projects - identified and funded by partner agencies - with faculty expertise and student innovation from departments and disciplines across the University's academic colleges. The RCI recruits partner agencies through a competitive selection process and matches projects with existing courses across the university's curricula. Partner agencies are able to harness incredible momentum for their projects in large part because the partnership is realized on a bigger scale than more typical one-off university-community projects. Faculty are able to opt-in and augment their existing curriculum with real-world projects that have been identified, funded and supported by the leadership and staff of the partner agency - ultimately delivering their students' work for consideration and implementation. The RCI is a member of the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities (EPIC) Network, a nationwide network of over 25 universities that have replicated the highly successful Sustainable City Year Model that was established at the University of Oregon in 2009. The model is based on university-community partnerships with a defined geographic and temporal scope, focused on advancing sustainability and the social good, leveraging the multidisciplinary knowledge and capacity of the university to 'move the needle' on pressing community issues. The RCI directly engages hundreds of CSU, Chico students each academic year, providing impactful opportunities for them to put theory to practice in their own community and region, connecting them with decision-makers and practitioners in their fields of study, and helping develop the next generation of workforce professionals and leaders.

https://scnpchico.com/