CUMU Conference 2017

Widely known through the work of the Harlem Children’s Zone and the federal government’s Promise and Choice Neighborhood programs, geographically specific initiatives have the potential to positively address the challenge of concentrated poverty. While we may be familiar with these types of initiatives based out of non-profit organizations or governmental grants, less is known about this type of strategy in higher education.

Recently, some universities have also taken on this geographically specific strategy. This session will explore a newer type of initiative: place-based community engagement (PBCE). PBCE is unique in that such initiatives are an institution-wide strategy that’s geographically concentrated with a long-term engagement plan with the target community (Koth, 2013). Drawing from four campuses from the Northwest (Seattle University), West (University of San Diego, and Mid Atlantic (Loyola University Maryland and Drexel University), our panelists will engage in a conversation to share lessons learned and promising practices as their campuses have engaged in this strategy. We will do this by engaging panelists in a discussion on how campuses began their exploring and planning process for their initiative. Panelists will then share what implementation has looked like. Lastly, the panelists will share what they are doing to sustain such initiatives in a climate of political and economic uncertainty.