A growing number of colleges and universities have come to recognize the role and responsibilities they have in the economic and social fabric of their surrounding communities and regions as anchor institutions. Yet, the conditions of urban communities surrounding even the most engaged universities--including under-resourced public schools,…

Can verse mediate between the educational institution and the wider community of which it is a part? Utilising a case study of a specific taught module, this essay considers whether the performance of poetry as an experiential learning activity has a role to play in the emerging concept of the university as an anchor institution, a term that…

Anchor movements rest on the premise that people- and place-based initiatives can be mutually reinforcing. The community development movement, however, has been haunted for years by the people-place dilemma -- the idea that efforts to help people harm efforts to uplift places and vice versa. Most of the literature on the anchor strategy has…

Uses examples of the University of Illinois at Chicago Neighborhoods Initiative (UICNI) and Policy Research Action Group (PRAG) to show how strong, viable university/community collaborations can occur. Points to a new research model and key lessons learned on how to use collaborative partnerships to enhance social action on urban problems. (DSK)

The first step in the effective reform of urban education is to address the failure of the urban communities of which they are a natural and necessary outgrowth. At the heart of the problem is the inner-city community of adults that has been decimated, leaving few who are capable of responding to the need or bringing meaning and guidance to young…

Reports on the COMBASE Conference (Portland, Oregon, September 18, 1980), which addressed the relationships among community development, the community college, and the public. Outlines the conference's mission and the problems and needs assessed by urban, suburban, and suburban-rural study groups. (CAM)

This publication presents the proceedings of a conference that brought together local leaders who are working for change in distressed communities in 16 cities. An overview discusses the background for the conference and describes common themes that emerged during its proceedings. The next section contains the keynote address, "Race, Class, and…

The main purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which community consensus existed regarding a variety of major changes in Pittsburgh and the extent to which widely differing perspectives of community leaders might contribute to conflict, or at least significant difficulties, on these issues. A pragmatic secondary objective was to…

This paper describes how four institutions of higher education, local businesses, and community leaders cooperated to work for change in University Heights (Newark, New Jersey). Initial sections describe the community and the economic and social changes it has seen in recent decades. These sections also review how the four institutions established…