Frequently Asked Questions

Can anyone at the University of Pittsburgh use the map?

Yes, anyone with a Pitt login can enter activities, which may include engaged collaborations with community partners or on-going community outreach efforts. The map itself is open to the public to find activities.

What is the purpose of the map?

Pitt’s Engagement and Outreach Map is designed to foster greater understanding of how the University is working as a partner in our communities, coordinating community engagement and outreach efforts across the University, and monitoring the progress of the University’s overall engagement and outreach efforts.

What should be submitted for inclusion on the map?

Activities that are institutionally supported, benefit the broader community beyond Pitt, and occur more than once should be included on the map. One-time events should be submitted to the University Events Calendar.

Why should we put our activities on the map?

The map helps make your engagement and outreach activities visible to community stakeholders, other university colleagues, funders, and elected officials.

Can practicums or student teaching placements be included on the map?

Yes, those activities can be included on the map. Please use the multiple location version of the Add an Activity form.

My activity is a single, ongoing program that has multiple geographic placement sites with multiple partners. Should I enter one activity or multiple activities?

Entering a single activity with multiple locations and community partners allows your activity to be represented accurately. Multiple map pins will be generated from the location data that is entered under a single activity, allowing for the single activity to have several placements represented. Ensure that all geographic partners’ sites are entered in the location field

Some of my activity locations may change depending on the academic term. Should I edit the existing entry or enter a new activity?

If the overall activity remains the same, then simply add a new collaboration to your activity. On a desktop computer, log on to the map and select “My Activities” from the primary navigation and then select the activity you wish to edit from the list that displays on the left side of the screen. On a mobile device, select the Menu, then select “My Activities”, and select the activity from the full-screen list.

In both cases, navigate to the bottom of the page and select “Add another collaboration.” If the collaboration held at the previous term's location is no longer happening, update the “End Date” from that collaboration to the date that the collaboration ended. If the collaboration at the previous term's location happens concurrently with the collaboration at the new location, leave the “End Date” box empty on the previous collaboration and enter a collaboration representing the new location. Creating a collaboration for the new location on the form will create a new map pin for the new collaboration.

My activity ends with the close of academic year and starts again at the beginning of a new academic year. Should I edit my activity dates each year, or indicate that my activity doesn’t have an end date?

If the activity simply turns over with new participants each academic year but remains programmatically consistent, input the “Start Date” of the program and leave the “End Date” blank. If the activity is substantially changing from one academic year to the next (such as partnerships with different organizations or at different locations), add an end date to the previous collaboration and create a new collaboration that represents the programmatic changes.

My activity is a partnership with another department(s). Should there be more than one entry for the same activity?

No. Each university unit that is entered will be equally represented on that activity’s entry. Use the “University Leaders” and “Contact Persons” fields to assign individuals, potentially across departments, who will field questions and inquiries about the activity

Can I delete an activity I previously entered?

At this time, you cannot delete an activity you previously entered. If you entered something in error and it should not be included on the map, please contact the map help desk at our help form to let us know.