Building on this legacy, RMU has launched the new Collaborative Learning Institute—the university’s hub for corporate partnerships.

The Collaborative Learning Institute directly aligns with RMU's mission as a professionally focused university. By bringing together the Career and Professional Development Center, the Corporate Partnerships division and academic centers of excellence, the Institute serves as an enablement engine to ensure students have extraordinary, real-world experiences. It also acts as a centralized platform for local businesses and organizations to engage with the University for many of their needs, such as hiring interns, offering workforce development training, obtaining consulting support for special projects and more. Additionally, with most RMU graduates typically staying in the Pittsburgh region after earning their degrees, companies benefit from a reliable pipeline of talented, career-ready professionals who are deeply invested in the local community.

"As a professionally focused University, connecting businesses with students through the Collaborative Learning Institute was a natural evolution for us," said Dr. Jill Kurp, Chief Academic Outreach & Impact Officer. "This initiative ensures that students are practicing the right skills and gaining experiences that employers are actively looking for, creating a direct pipeline for talent in the region. Through workforce development, talent acquisition, professional development, executive education and collaborative innovation offered through the program, we can’t wait to see our students thrive with these new opportunities."

A key component of the Institute's student-focused approach is the RMU Ready program. This career readiness initiative, which is a graduation requirement, is managed through a dynamic, user-friendly mobile app to make the process more engaging for students. The program is built around career competencies essential to the Collaborative Learning Institute, including financial literacy, leadership, teamwork, technology, critical thinking and more.

Dr. Kurp added, “By making the mastery of at least seven core competencies a graduation requirement, RMU is doubling down on its commitment to ensuring every graduate is prepared for the modern workforce.”

For industry partners, the Institute provides a platform to not only connect with future talent but also continue our long history of aligning our curriculum with the needs of the industry. This collaborative feedback loop ensures that RMU's programs remain relevant to the needs of the evolving job market. Early success stories include leadership training with local companies like Calgon Carbon, Pitt Ohio and Koppers Inc., professional development workshops with Kurt J. Lesker, talent acquisition partnerships with BNY and 84 Lumber, as well as student-led consulting projects for partners such as Thermo Fisher Scientific.

For more information on the Collaborative Learning Institute, please visit https://www.rmu.edu/about/cli.