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| STU Students and COCANO Coffee Cooperative Members |
In recognition of St. Thomas University’s (STU) commitment to community engagement and public service, the university has received Florida Campus Compact’s Global Impact Award for its STU/Port-de-Paix, Haiti, Global Solidarity Partnership (STU GSP). Each year the award recognizes one outstanding campus-community partnership that produces measurable global improvement while enhancing higher education.
Founded over eight years ago and facilitated by STU’s Center for Community Engagement, STU GSP leverages university teaching and research resources into three long-term, Haitian-led development projects in the Archdiocese of Miami’s sister-diocese of Port-de-Paix – a Haiti’s poorest region.
- Café COCANO Coffee Project: STU business, marketing, and agricultural science students support coffee farmers in the production and export of heirloom, organic coffee to the United States in a fair/direct-trade partnership that keeps the profits in the hands of the farmers. Watch the video here.
- Atelye Thevenet Haitian Artisan Initiative: STU business and art management students import handcrafted artisan items and custom bags, providing beautiful handiwork to markets in the United States while providing employment to dozens of women in rural Haiti.
- STU/Port-de-Paix Solar Energy Initiative: STU electrical engineering and solar energy students work with Haiti Tec, a vocational college in Port-au-Prince, to install an 18kw solar energy system in the cathedral and community center of Port-de-Paix.
“The university’s partnership with Haiti has always served as an example of our commitment to long-term engagement projects that both empower communities and enrich our student’s learning,” said President Msgr. Franklyn Casale. “It is an honor to be recognized for the work that is such an integral part of our university.’’
Part of a national network of colleges and universities, Florida Campus Compact works to integrate service with academic study, educate students for civil and social responsibility and promote campus-community partnerships. The annual Florida Campus Compact awards recognize outstanding contributions in higher education that support engaged scholarship.
