In our summer 2004 edition we featured a story about a collaboration between the University and the local Somali community. Sauman Chu, Mauricio Arango, and Chuck Yust, all from the University of Minnesota, partnered with the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota to produce a bilingual Web site designed to help new Somali immigrants. The team compiled a large inventory of information (e.g., health services, immigration, and employment information) that had been scattered among different state agencies and non-governmental organizations. After having that information translated into Somali, the team tailored the Web site's design to meet the needs and preferences of the community. The site, funded with a grant from the University's Council on Public Engagement (COPE), also contains a directory of Somali businesses and a history of Somalia and the Somali presence in Minnesota.

The site is now serving the Somali community at somaliresource.net.