The University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government, one of the nation's oldest and largest university-based public-service organizations, provides a case study of the problems and challenges for these organizations, one of which is to mix and match institutional and personal objectives and capabilities to optimize the contributions of…

Creating genuine partnerships between urban universities and their communities is self-interest for the academic institution because their survival is in danger. Commitment to access is only one dimension of collaboration; it must be enhanced by full participation of the university, as corporate citizens, in community development. Partnerships are…

The Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois, Chicago is a high-visibility urban-policy research center that is sometimes drawn into controversial issues. University leadership must defend academic freedom vigorously, but that freedom cannot be used indiscriminately for faculty pronouncements; faculty and administrators must ensure…

Strategies for building the connection between an urban university and the surrounding community through a service learning program are discussed, drawing on the experience of the Shriver Center at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County campus. Issues addressed include consideration of program form and function, faculty involvement, and…

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…

Argues that a strong case can be made for supporting outreach as a value-added function in a university. Specific strategies for positioning outreach within the university by developing a power base are outlined. The case of the University of Michigan-Flint is offered as an example of this approach. Seven lessons learned in the process are noted.…

Development of community outreach partnership centers (COPCs) requires adaptations in the university environment. Institutions must reexamine and reinterpret the roles and responsibilities of faculty, design of the undergraduate curriculum, structures of the university that create the capacity to support and sustain different working relationships…

George Mason University's (GMU) (Virginia) successful Early Identification Program includes alliances with three public school districts to foster early, consistent intervention, and to encourage and motivate at-risk minority students to complete a college preparatory curriculum and enroll in colleges. GMU guarantees admission to participants who…