In a speech to the Hayward Rotary Club at the Masonic Temple on Monday, California State University, East Bay President Leroy Morishita asked the Hayward community members for help building the university’s image as a positive influence to the community.

“If we are to obtain our vision to become a model institution for the regionally engaged learning for the 21^st century, we need your help,” Morishita said in his speech.

The community can become involved in promoting CSUEB’s vision by taking the form of community partnerships that provide engaging learning opportunities such as field placements, service learning and internship opportunities, Morishita said.

Currently community based organizations in Hayward including the university, Hayward Unified School District, Chabot College, the city of Hayward, Eden Area Regional Occupational Program, and the Child Coordinating Council are working together to ensure the youth of Hayward will succeed in their educational experiences.

“Your support can [also] come in the support of being a friend to the university, in helping us tell our story and advocate for higher education in our region in the state,” Morishita said. “So I’m asking for your help in any way you can or are willing to support your university and its students.”

Currently, the city of Hayward supports students with a federal Promise Neighborhood grant. In 2011, Hayward was one of five communities in the U.S. to win a five-year grant to support low-income neighborhoods and children who live in them, according to the Department of Education. The Hayward Promise Neighborhood website states some of the issues they work to solve include “poverty, crime, low academic achievement, and poor health.”

“It’s a great program, it has brought the community together,” Morishita said. “It has brought non profits … to work together, health services, schools, to really start to communicate in a way that they never have. They share their practices and discuss how they can improve and work together to serve all the students they can.”

The money for the grant will cease in 2016, giving the city two and a half years to build a new grant or find other ways to support students in these neighborhoods.

CSUEB also supports its students through a service-learning program. Service learning involves students in community service activities and applies the experience to personal and academic development, according to the Colorado State University.

“We have 200 hours now but I’d love to make it half a million hours of service learning,” Morishita said. “We’re [currently] trying to infuse this throughout our whole campus.”

Heald College campus President Douglas M. Den. Hartog Sr. attended the presentation on Monday.

“I enjoy the passion Leroy brings to this community,” Hartog said. “He’s got a great vision for CSU East Bay; it fits into the whole educational needs of young people. The ability to be able to take folks that have a dream and passion and turn them into an employable graduate is exactly the role education has got to play.”