College Partnerships:
Stronger Together
Creating opportunity where academics, community and industry meet.
The Four P’s of Partnership
Purposeful: We are intentional about aligning our goals with those who share them as we seek to build learning pathways to advance access to opportunity.
Present: We believe partnership starts with relationship and are committed to be present in the communities we serve.
Promotion: We are less interested in getting credit and more interested in getting results. If we see a program that helps serve the same goals we have, we will promote it.
People: We do everything to meet people where they are and bring people together to solve problems and advance opportunity
Partnership is a big word that means different things to different people. At CPS we look at partnership through many varied lenses. Some of our partnerships are contractual (we call these our Capital P partnerships). Some of our partnerships are collaborative and less formal. Some of our partnerships are promotional, where we share opportunities that others may have available that meet our goals for more learners to access opportunity.
Many of our partners fall into more than one of these Four P’s or partnership. Here’s what some of them look like.
And if you see yourself in any of these spaces and are interested in learning how we might partner together, contact us at [email protected].
Educational Partners
EXAMPLE “Our collaboration with Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies is helping bridge the gap between education and industry in biotech. Together, we’re building hands-on learning pathways that prepare a diverse workforce for the next generation of cell and gene therapy innovation.”
— Tracy Hill, Vice President of Workforce Development, ElevateBio
We are deeply embedded in the educational spaces of New England and beyond. From K-12 to Community Colleges to other institutions of higher education. Some of those include:
K-12 Public Schools: We work closely with area public schools in Boston and beyond to advance teacher training in AI, develop programs to equip teachers and administrators with credentials and degrees necessary for advancement, and advance collaborative action research that solves real problems in the sector. We also offer scholarships for those committed to a career in education.
Community Colleges: As a pathway to bachelor’s completion, many of our students either transfer directly from community colleges or have some community college credit in their past. We also offer scholarships for community college faculty and staff in Massachusetts.
Higher Ed: We regularly collaborate with other institutions to convene conversations and promote opportunities in education and research. From co-hosting events to developing innovative research hubs.
Industry Partners
We strive to be a workforce development hub—creating opportunity where academics and industry meet. Our industry collaborators are key to developing relevant programming that is in demand.
Scholar Practitioners: Most of our faculty are active leaders in their industries, bringing real-world, current industry needs into the classroom. This also advances our powerful experiential learning model, where students get access to working on resume-building industry-aligned projects.
Job Training: In addition to our traditional undergraduate and graduate degrees, we offer a host of microcredentials to provide meaningful training that industry needs to succeed. Our PathmakerBio program, for example, was developed in partnership with industry to connect underrepresented people in the Boston area with critical hands-on training to launch new careers in biotech.
Workforce Upskilling: As technology and tools evolve, and the demands on modern industries shift, we are on the front lines of developing programming in partnership with businesses and organizations to help train individuals, teams or entire companies on needed skills tailored specifically to each business.
Community Partners
“Working with Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies has been transformative for our organization and the people we serve. Their team doesn’t just show up — they listen, co-create, and help build real pathways for our community members to advance their education and careers.”
— Linda Ebugjie, Community Engagement Manager, MIT Office of Government and Community Relations
We are embedded in communities across the country and around the world, with deep roots in Boston and New England. When we serve community needs, we advance opportunity for all.
Non-Profit Organizations: Many of our community partnerships are with local non-profits, where we build out pathways to educational opportunities for their varied audiences.
Small Businesses: Small businesses are the backbone of any community. We have a long history connecting small businesses with resources and tools to help them turn their idea into a thriving business.
Career Transition: Some organizations are so unique and require such specific talent, that the time any individual can spend in them is limited. We have curated programming specific to meeting those needs for groups like Boston Ballet and MLB.
Government Partners: We regular collaborate with local government organizations to advance workforce and economic development goals for the region.
Research Partners
Our research is focused on applied outcomes, and as such we have cultivated a deep bench of research partners who share that approach to solving pressing issues with academic rigor.
Collaborative Research Centers: Many of our research centers include leaders from other higher education institutions and research hubs.
Innovation Hubs: We regularly collaborate with other research organizations to convene interdisciplinary experts around challenges to develop actionable solutions.
Expert Opinions: Our faculty experts are regularly called upon because of their academic credentials and their areas of expertise to share their opinions on pressing matters facing decision makers in government and media seeking unbiased input on today’s headlines.
