Temple University students are helping tell the story of the university’s community impact through a new experiential learning partnership between the Alpha Beta Upsilon chapter of Lambda Pi Eta—the national communication honor society housed within Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication—and the Temple University Community Gateway.

The collaboration connects Klein College student writers and photographers with community-facing programs across the university, giving students hands-on experience while helping elevate the work of faculty and staff serving North Philadelphia and the broader city. Students will highlight the people, purpose and impact behind Temple’s community engagement efforts while creating professional-quality storytelling assets that can be shared across the university.

The Temple University Community Gateway is a center within the Office of Community Impact and Civic Engagement, overseen by Vice President Valerie Harrison. The Gateway centralizes information on community-facing programs across Temple for both internal and external audiences, serving as a hub for coordination, collaboration and outreach.

Internally, the Gateway works to develop a complete and accurate inventory of Temple’s community-facing programs, allowing the university to strengthen initiatives, reduce duplication and foster collaboration across units. Externally, the Gateway helps increase awareness and utilization of these programs by Philadelphia residents, particularly those in North Philadelphia, strengthening relationships between Temple and its surrounding communities.

“So much meaningful community engagement is happening across Temple, and our role is to bring that work together and help tell a more complete story,” said Antonio Romero, director of the Temple University Community Gateway. “This partnership supports our mission while giving students the opportunity to contribute in a tangible and impactful way.”

A key component of this work is the Gateway’s Community Engagement Database, where faculty and staff input information about the programs they lead. Gateway staff review submissions to identify opportunities for alignment, collaboration and avenues to promote programs more effectively. Shelbie Ulysse, department coordinator at the Gateway, trains any faculty or staff who want to input programs into the database. The Gateway also convenes the Community Engagement Collaborative, a network of representatives from across the university who ensure community-facing programs within their units are reflected in the database and connected to broader engagement efforts.

The partnership with Lambda Pi Eta emerged as Gateway leadership explored ways to strengthen storytelling around this work while supporting student learning. In spring 2025, Gateway leaders connected with Lambda Pi Eta president, Katherine Black, who was seeking meaningful service opportunities that would allow members of the honor society to apply their communication skills in real-world settings. Those conversations led to the development of a student-driven storytelling project designed to benefit both students and Temple’s community-facing programs.

What emerged was a shared vision: pairing student storytellers with programs already serving the community and producing stories that clearly communicate their impact. The collaboration was formalized as a service project in fall 2025, with students contributing articles that support the Gateway’s goal of creating a more complete and visible picture of Temple’s community engagement.

“Bringing students into this work strengthens how we share these stories and expands our capacity to highlight community-facing programs,” said Ulysse. “It’s a collaborative approach that benefits the programs, the university and the students themselves.”

For the Gateway, the project supports its broader mission by adding consistent, accessible storytelling to its engagement infrastructure. For students, the experience offers experiential learning opportunities, exposure to professional editorial standards and the chance to contribute meaningfully to the university’s relationship with the community.

For Lambda Pi Eta members, the work mirrors professional communication environments. Students research programs, interview stakeholders and produce stories intended for real audiences, gaining practical experience while contributing to a larger institutional effort.

“This project gives our members the chance to apply what we learn in the classroom in a real and meaningful way,” said Katherine Black, a communication studies student and president of Lambda Pi Eta. “We’re able to support community-facing programs while building skills to carry into our future careers.”

As the initiative continues to grow, the Gateway encourages faculty and staff who lead community-facing programs to ensure their work is reflected in the Community Engagement Database. Those interested in being included or learning more about future storytelling opportunities are encouraged to reach out to the Gateway at gateway@temple.edu.

By centering student voices and community impact, the partnership reflects Temple’s mission and values, combining experiential learning and civic engagement to strengthen the university’s connection to the communities it serves.