The university experience. It promotes energy, fosters collaboration and instills a true pride in the institution. It's an experience Louis Anderson of Student Development and Campus Life would like everyone at Montclair State to have. "That's my goal," said Anderson. "To bring the university experience to Montclair."

Anderson's first step toward that goal was starting an initiative aimed at fostering programs that will bring together members of the campus community. "To do things on a university scale, we need to get people to start thinking about Montclair State as a community," he said. "It is, after all, our shared community." The Montclair State University Community Partnerships Program intends to unite various departments, staff and student organizations in efforts that benefit the campus community.

"Many student organizations are required to engage in community service projects," Anderson explained. "We want them to start considering the campus as a community for which they could provide services that will benefit everyone."

Anderson said the MSU Community Partnerships Program also encourages organizations to work collaboratively on projects. "So often these groups create programs without thinking, 'How can we get other groups involved? What can other organizations bring to this program to make it better?' We want to break down those barriers and get everyone working together."

The first meeting of the Community Partnerships Program took place in October and plans are underway for the first program, MSU Squares, a takeoff of the game show Hollywood Squares. "We're spreading the word about it," Anderson said. "Students from the Golden Key Honor Society are spearheading the project and getting leaders from other organizations involved."

Allison Stevens, a junior psychology major, and a member of the Golden Key Society for two year, hopes MSU Squares will be one of many programs that students, faculty and staff look forward to attending. "We want students to think of Montclair State as more than just a place where they go to classes and then go home," she said. "We hope these programs get people thinking about the University as a fun place where we can all work together to accomplish great things."

Jeffrey Schonfeld, a junior biology major and president of the Golden Key Society, is looking forward to fostering collaboration among the students organizations and, ultimately, the entire campus. "Right now there is a loose connection between the organizations," he said. "But as we begin to get this program moving, we're hoping that more and more organizations get on board. The result will be bigger and better programs with larger audiences."

Karen Pennington, vice president for Student Development and Campus Life, agrees. "It makes good sense that we all work together as a community," she said. "If we can't do that here, at the University where we have many resources, where can we do it?"

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