The collaboration expands opportunities for education, innovation, and community engagement through the power of play.
The University of Rochester and The Strong National Museum of Play have set a playdate. Announced today, the institutions are creating a partnership that will advance research, education, and community engagement focused on the study of play and games.
Through this collaboration, URochester faculty, staff, and students will have new opportunities to develop joint research initiatives, organize conferences, and create exhibits that explore the history, cultural significance, and societal impact of play and games, using the museum’s world-renowned collections, exhibitions, and expertise. The partnership will also support newly developed degrees and educational programs, including courses, workshops, lectures, and field trips designed to enrich the academic experience and strengthen community connections.
The Strong will provide URochester classes with special access to its collections and offer staff-led field trips each year, and the two institutions will also co-present at regional, national, and international conferences, further establishing Rochester as a leader in play and games scholarship and innovation.
Together, URochester and The Strong will also explore ways to promote Rochester and New York State as centers for play and game development. By combining the University’s academic excellence with The Strong’s unparalleled resources, the partnership aims to attract scholars, industry leaders, and enthusiasts to the region—fostering creativity, innovation, and economic growth.
“This partnership marks an important advancement in how we support interdisciplinary scholarship and deepen our engagement with the broader community,” says Provost Nicole Sampson. “Collaborating with The Strong Museum allows us to expand opportunities for our students, faculty, and staff to examine the role of play and games as powerful drivers of creativity, learning, and innovation.”
Unlocking the power of play
Located in the heart of the city of Rochester, The Strong is home to the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of materials related to play, including toys, dolls, games, video games, and other artifacts.
“The Strong National Museum of Play and University of Rochester have worked together on many programs and projects over the years, but this partnership opens exciting opportunities for students and staff at both organizations to collaborate and share ideas and resources to advance play and game studies, develop exhibits and programs, and build Rochester as a truly global center for play,” says Jon-Paul Dyson, senior vice president for exhibits and interpretive resources at The Strong.
The University’s Warner School of Education & Human Development will play a key role in this partnership through its Center for Professional Development and Education Reform, led by Michael Daley. Leveraging its expertise in education and learning, the center will ensure that the partnership’s initiatives are accessible, impactful, and aligned with the broader mission of promoting learning through play.
“We are opening the door to new kinds of collaboration between educators, researchers, and museum professionals,” says Daley. “Together, we can develop hands-on learning experiences that help students and community partners understand the many ways play shapes how we learn, connect, and imagine what’s possible.”
Game on
This partnership builds on a long history of collaboration between URochester and The Strong:
- The Eastman Community Music School partners with the museum on programs connecting music and play, including on-site performances.
- Karl Rosengren, a professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the Department of Psychology, partners with The Strong on projects that help children learn through games and play-based activities. He uses these insights to inform exhibits on biological variability and to study visual representations, such as lifecycle and genetic diagrams, in enhancing STEM learning. Each semester, Rosengren and Daniel Mruzek, a senior lecturer in psychology and in brain and cognitive sciences, bring research methods classes to the museum to design and conduct research evaluating visitors’ experiences with specific exhibits.
- The University of Rochester Medical Center’s Department of Pediatrics incorporates observation of healthy children at play into its clinical rotations, with a focus on inclusive and accessible play opportunities for all children.
- Kristana Textor, a lecturer in the Undergraduate Program in Digital Media Studies and the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program—and a Warner doctoral candidate—facilitates out-of-classroom learning experiences that allow undergraduates to explore games scholarship and design at a professional level.
