Message from the Hennepin-University Partnership Director
Message from the Hennepin-University Partnership Director
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
I arrived a little over a year ago excited about this role and curious to learn about the Hennepin-University Partnership’s nationally recognized model of collaboration. Thank you to everyone who has shared insights, stories, and ideas. Your perspectives highlight the incredible work accomplished and shape our understanding of HUP’s impact and future.
In addition to supporting our current activities, programs, and events, HUP Leadership and staff have set their gaze on the next five years. Since June, we’ve engaged over 56 leaders and doers across the partnership in an iterative process to shape a framework for how Hennepin County and the University of Minnesota can enrich residents’ lives together. This process has refined our vision, surfaced emerging strategies, and established core values that will guide both what we do and how we do it. I look forward to sharing more as this work evolves.
This annual report highlights the range of innovative collaborative work that’s occurred in 2024. To everyone contributing to this growing coalition—thank you. We are made better by being in partnership together.
Warmly,
Amy Delahanty, HUP Director
Connect with HUP
March - Cultural Values of Water and Water Justice
Priority Area: Climate
Dr. Mae Davenport and her team presented findings from their research, which examines how different communities across Minnesota value water. Their research shows that sociocultural experiences with water matter, and influence not only how people value water, but also their perceptions of water problems and the likelihood they’ll engage in water protection actions.
July - Building Material Reuse in Commercial Projects
Priority Area: Climate
Hennepin County Environment and Energy started a collaborative project through HUP to produce a toolkit. The county team led by Olivia Cashman, Construction and Demolition Waste Specialist at Hennepin County, provided an overview of the content in the Project Manager’s Guide to Material Reuse in Commercial Buildings toolkit.
November - Enhancing Personal Wellbeing and Resilience, Mindfully
Priority Area: Health, Justice
Mariann Johnson from the University of Minnesota’s Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing led an interactive session on how to incorporate wellbeing and mindfulness into everyday activities.
Partnership Projects, by priority area
Climate
AIS Detectors Course 2024
Priority Area: Climate
Empowering residents to protect lakes from aquatic invasive species, this project provided hands-on training to Hennepin County residents in AIS science, identification, and surveillance through workshops and volunteer programs.
The Deconstruction and Building Material Reuse Guidance Project
Priority Area: Climate
The Deconstruction and Building Material Reuse Guidance project will develop two architectural specification templates to promote material reuse, reduce embodied emissions, and support industry-wide adoption of sustainable building practices.
Getting to Zero: Quantifying the Impact of Nature-based Solutions for Carbon Sequestration in Hennepin County
Priority Area: Climate
Advancing Hennepin County's net-zero emissions goal, this project quantified carbon sequestration, evaluated land protection efforts, and informed climate strategies using parcel-level assessments.
MN B3 Guidelines Program
Priority Area: Climate
Administered by the University of Minnesota College of Design, this program enhances sustainability by providing access to B3 Guidelines project files and Benchmarking tools, ensuring compliance through registration, certification, and impact reduction in construction projects.
Natural Resources Collaborative Planning
Priority Area: Climate
Partnering with conservationists to create strategic maps for land preservation, restoration, and easement activities, this project supported data-driven natural resource management in Hennepin County.
Education
Weber Park 4-H STEAM Club
Priority Area: Education
In partnership with 4-H, the library offered a weekly hands-on program for middle and high school students, fostering leadership, curiosity, and deeper connections to learning, the library, and the community.
Health
The Aliveness Project, Organizational Readiness Strategy
Priority Area: Health
Carlson School of Management students partnered with The Aliveness Project to develop a strategic plan addressing the opioid crisis, evaluating and enhancing services through meetings and a year-end report.
CANIAR, Opioid Service Delivery
Priority Area: Health
Carlson School of Management students collaborated with Community Access for New Immigrants and Refugees (CANIAR) to develop a strategic plan addressing the opioid crisis, assessing and enhancing services through meetings and a year-end report.
Culturally Appropriate Healthy Food Distribution
Priority Area: Health
Vendors who respond to this RFP must propose a plan for culturally appropriate distribution of perishable and non-perishable healthy foods to address food insecurity in Hennepin County communities affected by COVID-19, ensuring compliance with CDC and Minnesota Department of Health safety protocols.
Scoping Review of Food Skills
Priority Area: Health
Mapping the connections between food skills and wasted food, this scoping review will identify research gaps and inform future residential programs, culminating in a final report with key insights on resource use, accessibility, and growth opportunities.
Urban Agriculture Initiative 2024-25
Priority Area: Health
Transforming two vacant lots into vibrant community gardens, this project fostered food security, youth leadership, and health awareness while honoring cultural wisdom and promoting food justice in Hennepin County.
Justice
Reimagining Youth Justice
Priority Area: Justice
Building upon the work started in 2023, the research team conducted statistical analysis of juvenile cases to assess which decision variables predict specific youth outcomes (re-referral, recidivism). This information will be used to better prevent recidivism.
Multi-priority area projects
4-H Environmental Learning and Capacity Building Green Partners Grant
Priority Area: Education, Health, Income, Justice
Engaging youth in climate action and environmental advocacy, this program empowers participants from Minneapolis, Richfield, and Hopkins to address food justice, plastic waste, and sustainability while exploring green careers and tackling racial disparities in environmental issues.
Be@School Conference 2024
Priority Area: Education, Justice
This conference on August 1, 2024 provided opportunities for individuals who work for the county, schools, and nonprofit agencies to learn how to best serve students and families dealing with truancy. This year’s title was From Awareness to Action: Uniting Efforts to Address the Attendance Crisis.
Blue Line Anti Displacement Phase 2
Priority Area: Housing, Connectivity
Building on prior work by CURA and the Anti-Displacement Work Group, this project supports the Anti-Displacement Community Prosperity Board through board assistance and meeting facilitation while helping Hennepin County measure and evaluate anti-displacement efforts following a $10 million legislative appropriation.
PA 8081: Two-way bikeway safety evaluation
Priority Area: Connectivity, Climate
Graduate students evaluated the safety of two-way and one-way protected bikeways in Hennepin County through crash data and other sources to guide future bikeway design decisions.
School Recycling Program Assistance
Priority Area: Education, Climate
Supporting 30-40 schools across Hennepin County, this project provided technical assistance to implement and improve waste prevention, recycling, and organic waste management programs.
Other
Bakken Living Well/Dying Well
Priority Area: Other
A live, virtual session of the Living Well / Dying Well workshop was offered to Hennepin County employees, spouses and retirees. Living Well, Dying Well aims to help people regain the language and skills needed to empower, nurture, and care for those at the end of life.
Flora and Fauna Illustrata
Priority Area: Other
The project showcased original works from the Andersen Horticultural Library's Flora and Fauna Illustrata collection. This exhibit was held at the Minneapolis Central Library on Dec 6, 2024–Jan 26, 2025, which celebrated botanical artistry through interactive programming, including an opening reception, artist-led tours, and hands-on activities for all ages.