Abstract
Everyone knows by now that colleges and universities are “anchor institutions”: important place-based engines that play key roles in local economies. But the raw facts of size and place are just the beginning of the story; what matters is not just the fact that anchors have an impact on communities, but what kind of impact they have, and on what terms. It is one thing to be an anchor institution. It is another to consciously and intentionally adopt an anchor mission, leveraging all available institutional and operational resources for community benefit.
Highlights
Everyone knows that colleges and universities are “anchor institutions”: important place-based engines that play key roles in local economies
Highereducation institutions are at risk of sending mixed messages to their constituencies, which can undermine public trust, student and faculty retention rates, and the ability of campuses to be conscious actors in creating just and livable communities
They are working to measure their impact, and build an evidence base for this work. They are working to reimagine their relationship to community, engaging with a broader array of stakeholders. This issue of Metropolitan Universities journal, for which The Democracy Collaborative was eager to serve as guest editor, highlights a cross-section of key work and critical reflection from across this new field of practice, in particular exploring:
Summary
Everyone knows that colleges and universities are “anchor institutions”: important place-based engines that play key roles in local economies. Highereducation institutions are at risk of sending mixed messages (albeit often unintentional) to their constituencies, which can undermine public trust, student and faculty retention rates, and the ability of campuses to be conscious actors in creating just and livable communities To grapple with these challenges, higher-education institutions are becoming more disciplined and resourceful in their efforts to identify and build capacity for organization-wide behavioral change. Universities are coming together, as communities of learning, to think innovatively and practically about the strategies that will move higher education further along in its pursuit of reciprocal partnerships, democratic engagement, and systemic solutions to inequalities They are breaking down campus silos to build programs in the areas of small-business development, hiring, procurement, housing and investment practices. Infrastructure and resourcing to support the anchor mission; Alignment of the anchor mission with other strategic priorities, Addressing larger challenges related to structural racism and persistent social and economic inequities
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