The University of Windsor and the Town of Tecumseh are teaming up to connect university research and student learning with local municipal priorities.
The two have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding focused on research, innovation and experiential learning.
The agreement identifies four initial areas of collaboration, including digitizing town records, exploring responsible uses of artificial intelligence in municipal services, having Biology and Environmental Studies students work on conservation and stewardship at Fairplay Woods, and a new library initiative.
As part of the agreement, Tecumseh residents aged 18 and older will be able to access the university’s Leddy Library onsite collections with a free External Borrowers card.
Tecumseh mayor Gary McNamara says this opportunity provides students hands-on experience but also provides a benefit to town staff.
“For us, we don’t at times for smaller communities have the human capacity to be able to dig into special areas like developing AI properly and safeguarding on that. How do we improve our Fairplay Woods as a great example? It is an environmental beauty. We are going to lean on the university to be able to help us protect it.”
University of Windsor President Dr. J.J. McMurtry says this initiative opens the door for students.
“Our students are looking for real-world practical experience inside of municipalities because of all the work that they do crossing a whole bunch of different disciplines; it’s an opportunity for our students to get some of that experience and to go out into the world and practice in a professional setting. So to me, the impacts are huge.”
McMurtry says Tecumseh is now the first municipality to have access to Leddy Library.
“So it really opens the door to the type of world-class research that we do at the University of Windsor to the entire over-18 population, which to me is an amazing thing. It doesn’t matter if you’re 89 or 18; you have access to the world of research at the university.”
The university says the four areas outlined in the agreement are an initial starting point, with opportunities for further collaboration expected to develop over the five-year partnership.
The agreement is designed to bring university expertise into the community while giving UWindsor students more opportunities to gain real-world experience.