Urban problems are enormously varied and they are related to every field of teaching and research in universities. There are few areas of liberal and professional training where the interests of the university and the needs of the city do not interrelate. It was to help answer these problems that the Urban Involvement of Higher Education Conference was held on March 1, 1974. This address from the conference is divided into 2 areas: the need for a new theoretical base for colleges and universities; and the relationship of the human make-up of education institutions to urban development. There are no institutions in the U. S. today that are closer to the total range of delivery systems--medicine, technology, associated health fields, law, communications, social work, education, recreation and culture--than the urban universities. For the university to be involved in the urban community, the institution must recognize the multifaceted character of the community and the types of training and education that it is capable of offering. In order to interface successfully with the urban community, the institution will need to strengthen relationships with city government. (Author/PG)