Sustaining Liberal Arts Colleges through Community Partnerships and the Co-Production of Knowledge

• Published in: Metropolitan universities 2019-12, Vol.30 (4), p.20
• Main Authors: Wiewel, Wim, Detweiler-Bedell, Jerusha
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Colleges; Educational History; Higher Education; Innovation; Liberal Arts; Partnerships in Education; Public Colleges; Role of Education; School Community Relationship; Urban Areas; Urban Schools
• ISSN: 1047-8485

There was a time when universities located in cities set themselves apart from urban life, even, in some cases, building walls that isolated their campuses. As the Cold War and Space Race accelerated the demand for academic expertise, government funding for basic and applied research became a mainstay of higher education. With the end of the Cold War, many institutions turned to a greater concern by addressing domestic societal needs. As state funding began its steady and continuing decline, urban universities developed programs to demonstrate the value they add to cities and metropolitan regions, and public-private partnerships took root. Today, liberal arts colleges are being challenged to demonstrate their relevance and value. Their future is, in part, predicated on their success in building stronger, more strategic, and mutually beneficial relationships beyond their campuses, specifically by collaborating with and adding value to the cities and metropolitan areas in which they are located. A movement that started in public universities should now be adopted more widely by liberal arts colleges.