Community Partners

Getting Started

BU’s Cross-College Challenge (XCC) is a unique opportunity for community partners to engage with an interdisciplinary team of undergraduate students on a complex real-world problem or an enduring human question. Community partners benefit from new and diverse perspectives resulting in thoughtful and innovative solutions and deliverables.

“I was absolutely just blown away with the professionalism. The thought and care that they put into developing their evaluation and then the resources that they ended up with are above and beyond anything we could’ve dreamed and hoped for.”

Patti Wilder, Volunteer Manager, 826 Boston

The first step in engaging with the XCC is to submit a proposal using the Project Proposal Form on this page. After submission, an XCC staff member will be in touch. Proposals that are not initially accepted may be reconsidered for future terms. Once your proposal is approved, we will match you with an XCC section, and you will work directly with the two faculty instructors and with the student teams for the duration of the semester.

Roles and Responsibilities

  1. Partners communicate with faculty regarding their project proposal, which is then provided to the student team.
  2. Partners agree to provide all necessary information and resources to address the challenge laid out in their proposal.
  3. Partners attend three meetings with the student team. (The student team is expected to set the initial client meeting to clarify objectives described in the online project submission form and to establish a timetable for the completion of the project. Partners or their representatives agree to meet with students two more times during the semester for status updates.)
  4. Partners attend the final presentation on campus, receive the report/work product, and provide feedback.
  5. Partners, faculty, and students understand that all associated photos and deliverables may be published online as a record of project work.

Available Resources

Partners are expected to provide all necessary information and resources to address the challenge. BU budgets approximately $100 per team for project-related expenses such as transportation and materials. While there is no charge, XCC partners may provide additional funds or resources as they deem necessary to the success of each project.