Design and Merchandising Community Engagement and Service Learning

Student interns mapped additional buildings to add to the Architectural Virtual Library, an interactive website designed to educate the public on historic buildings – both on and off campus.

The Patchwork Initiative, a recent addition to CSU and the Fort Collins community, is looking to change the fact that the clothing and textile industry is the world’s second-largest polluter through several sustainability initiatives on campus.

Assistant Professor Leah Scolere provided Interior Architecture and Design students the opportunity to gain real-world experience by working with the Early Childhood Center’s parents and staff to create design-focused solutions for the center’s new space.

Sonali Diddi, associate professor, is an inaugural fellow in President McConnell’s Leadership Fellows program. Professor Diddi will continue her work in community development under Blake Naughton, Vice President for Engagement and Extension, who serves as her mentor.

CSU’s Department of Design and Merchandising welcomed over 30 middle-schoolers to the Fashion FUNdamentals summer STEM enrichment program.  The students gained confidence in the STEM disciplines through fashion-focused lessons in textile science, digital textile design, pricing and costing, and many more.

Education at Colorado State University prioritizes not only preparing students for their future, but also providing an extraordinary foundation for giving back to the community through service-learning projects.