Effective university-community relationships require input from community residents. This study, conducted as part of Texas Southern University's outreach program, solicits the viewpoints of the residents of Acres Homes on several issues including the community's needs and priorities. The findings show that the respondents consider job training,…

Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin have invested funds and energy into their local Milwaukee communities through community development and local partnerships. Despite criticism and costs, the projects have raised institutional profiles and improved reputations. (MSE)

An early proponent of university development of community outreach partnership centers (COPCs) outlines his philosophy and encourages institutions to establish and nurture such programs, both for the public good and to promote positive change within the university. (MSE)

The Ohio Urban University Program, a consortium of eight universities, is a collaborative program of research, training, planning, database development, and technical assistance serving Ohio's major metropolitan areas. It has developed an evaluation system to assess the effectiveness of and help improve its outreach services. The system's…

When metropolitan universities refer to serving the entire metropolitan area, they often refer to rural fringes as well as concentrated urban populations. Working with rural communities requires somewhat different approaches to planning programs and understanding needs. Survey research helps the campus understand the perceptions and realities of…

A national survey of 186 urban public colleges and universities indicates substantial community service at almost all. Principal areas of activity and barriers to meeting this aspect of institutional mission are discussed here, and strategies to leverage resources and expand service capability are suggested. (Author/MSE)

Urges urban institutions of higher education to utilize multiple approaches for assessing both process and outcomes in university-community partnerships. Offers a collaborative model involving the various constituents. Stresses the importance of ongoing institutional support to sustain assessment efforts, including integration of assessment of…

Inherent in the philosophy behind community outreach partnership center (COPC) programs and university-community collaboration is flexibility in instituting models, strategies, and solutions for those partnerships. However, evaluating collaborative efforts is difficult because each project differs according to needs, resources, and goals. One…

The Community Action Scholars Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee provides education and training in organizational design and leadership to grassroots organizations and neighborhood residents. Insights drawn and lessons learned about university-community collaboration during this experience have the ultimate goal of empowering…

This report evaluates the Urban University Program (UUP), designed to improve urban outreach activities at eight Ohio Universities: Cleveland State University, Kent State University, Ohio State University, University of Akron, University of Cincinnati, University of Toledo, Wright State University, and Youngstown State University. The UUP provides…

The challenge facing urban colleges and universities must be met by: (1) commitment to excellence; (2) revitalization of liberal arts; (3) outreach programs to ensure basic reading, writing, and quantitative skills among elementary and secondary students; (4) active involvement in the preparation of public school teachers; and (5) the formulation…

This study examined the importance of community service at 45 colleges and universities in urbanized areas of Ohio. A survey of the institutions' chief academic officers examined three dimensions: (1) amount of attention policymaking bodies give to community service; (2) community service's place in the curriculum and faculty work; and (3) the…

Presents a typology of partnerships (service, exchange, cooperative, systemic/transformative) based on a philosophical analysis of trust relationships. An analysis of two major partnership projects in Virginia (the Manassas Park Educational Partnership and the Urban Alternative project at George Mason University) suggests rules and procedural…

Virginia Commonwealth University confronted shrinking resources for its urban mission by creating a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degree program. The program addressed a number of challenges and was built using existing resources in the university and professional communities. Despite early financial concerns, the program now combines needed…

This article describes a three-year collaborative affiliation between the Baltimore Theatre Project and the Department of Theatre at Towson State University (Maryland). It discusses initial encounters and connections, reasons for collaboration, difficulties finding and using time, successes, difficulties, and the effects of collaboration. (JB)