Patterson sits at the center of several overlapping communities.
The first community includes current students, their families, and faculty and staff. These people make Patterson work on a day-to-day basis, educating and training each other in intricate details of diplomacy, development, security, and international commerce.
The second community includes our alumni, and the former or retired members of our faculty and staff. In a sense, no one ever really leaves Patterson; they continue to have an influence on the operation of the school through alumni gatherings, guest speaking slots, internship opportunities, and in a wealth of other ways. Patterson is unique among its kind of school for the tight relationship it maintains with its (relatively small) alumni base, and it makes every effort to stay connected with that base.
The last community, best understood as a series of concentric circles, encompasses the University of Kentucky, the city of Lexington, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and the United States of America. In many ways, this is the most important community; serving the University, the commonwealth, and the nation is the reason why Patterson exists.
We take our connections with all of these communities seriously. Our departmental Facebook pages relates all of the latest news on what Patterson students, alumni, and faculty are doing, both in the classroom and in the public at large. Our twitter account similarly showcases the activities of Patterson students and alumni, while also keeping an eye on major international developments. Our LinkedIn presence (consisting of both an educational page and a discussion group) allows students and alumni to stay connected with one another. All of these groups facilitate relationships between the Patterson family and the large media and policy circles that inform and reflect the third community, the general public.