University Business - August 2007 - (Page 32)

FUTURE SHOCK higher education lecture series. That said, Bassett is candid in sharing that undertaking this kind of genuine community partnership is by no means easy. “It cannot be a top-down, one-shot charitable endeavor. It has to be a real partnership with the community built on mutual and admiration,” he says. “With a shared vision, mutual respect, and a shared will to succeed, communities and universities can build long-term relationships in which the lives of everyone involved are improved.” TRINITY: SUSTAINING DEMOCRACY Evan Dobelle, former president of Trinity College and a long-time proponent of civic engagement by urban colleges, puts it this way: “If you don’t do something signiﬁcant to improve the neighborhood, the college is sending the wrong message—that it is okay to have that kind of America. … These eﬀorts are all about sustaining democracy in urban America.” Trinity spearheaded a $250 million public/private partnership for neighborhood revitalization. In the wake of its civic eﬀorts and community investments, applications increased, the combined average SAT scores jumped, and the college’s rankings rose. Dobelle says, “Kids are coming to school with a diﬀerent agenda today. They want to be part of a community.” But, he stresses, college leaders cannot dictate the terms of a partnership. “You have to listen closely to the people in the surrounding community—and don’t be surprised if they are skeptical. After all, they have heard it all before.” PENN: WALKING THE WALK For its part, the University of Pennsylvania serves as a prime example of what can be achieved in a high-crime neighborhood if a community and university work together. Former President Judith Rodin notes that urban colleges and universities have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. “We teach our students about civic engagement. You can’t do that and not be role models for civic engagement,” she says. Penn renovated housing, oﬀered faculty members incentives to move into the surrounding neighborhood, and invested millions to build a public school. The university also refaced campus buildings so they opened onto the street, making the campus more open, inviting, and an integral part of the surrounding neighborhood. ‘Don’t be surprised if [community members] are skeptical. They have heard it all before.’ —Evan Dobelle, formerly of Trinity College streets safer, encouraged minority entrepreneurs in the vicinity of the campus, and encouraged more employees, especially lower-paid employees, to purchase homes near the university. The university also gave employment preference to people in the neighborhoods around USC. To ensure the buy-in of the campus community, USC launched the Good Neighbors Campaign in 1994, through which faculty and staﬀ donated more than $7 million of their own money. And by 2000, the Princeton Review selected USC as “College of the Year” based on its commitment to community involvement. PARTNERSHIP KEYS So what are the keys to a successful community-based town-gown partnership in an urban context? Bassett and Dobelle concur that getting faculty and staﬀ buyin and board of trustee support is critical in the early stages of the development process. And why not? These institutions are committing precious resources to an urban redevelopment strategy that for some represents a risky proposition. George Mason University (Va.) Professor Richard Florida, who authored The Rise of the Creative Class (HarperBusiness, 2005), has this to say: “It is no longer enough to have a stable business climate. Communities must build a critical mass of people climate. Recognizing that tax incentives are no longer enough to attract and sustain new business development, colleges and universities must also revitalize their surrounding communities— building a culture of neighborhood diversity, stability, and sustainable growth.” Clearly, the future of urban colleges and universities is inextricably bound up with the economic health and sustainability of their surrounding communities. What this means for students and faculty is that the urban higher ed laboratory of the future will focus on an often-overlooked community resource—the neighborhoods that surround their campuses. Public health is also a key component in Penn’s civic engagement. The nursing school’s Living Independently for Elders program provides nearly 300 West Philadelphia seniors comprehensive nursing and medical care. The program saves the commonwealth an estimated 15 to 20 percent in Medicaid reimbursement costs. Since implementing the redevelopment initiative, Penn has witnessed its U.S. News & World Report rankings rise, its applications increase, and its selectivity rates improve. USC: JOINING ITS NEIGHBORS Stephen B. Sample, president of the University of Southern California, puts it nicely: “For a century and a quarter USC has been a university in the city and of the city. This has never been truer than now, when we have joined with our neighbors to ensure our streets are safe, our children are healthy and well educated, and our local businesses, the arts, and our extraordinary cultural institutions thrive.” Sample championed ﬁve community initiatives in 1992 aimed at providing educational, cultural, and developmental opportunities for children in the immediate neighborhoods. The eﬀorts made the 32 | August 2007 universitybusiness.com http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - August 2007

Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
People Watch
Sense of Place
Viewpoint
Admissions
On the Hill
Future Shock
Independent Outlook
Facility Focus
Wanted: Foreign Students
Service With a Star
Beneficial Benefits
Addition By Subtraction
Report from EduComm 2007
Report Card
Internet Technology
What's New
Calendar of Events
Direct Connect
End Note

University Business - August 2007