Urban colleges and universities not only have a responsibility to engage in activities designed to improve the educational attainment of local urban youth, but also have extensive financial, human, intellectual, and organizational resources that may be directed productively toward this purpose. This article describes the multipronged approach that…

Strategic, academically based community service holds promise for creating the structural change needed to reduce deprivation and inhuman suffering found in urban areas. The early history of the modern urban university, particularly in the late 19th century, is an example and can provide a model for further development of this mission. (MSE)

The variety of approaches taken by urban universities in partnerships with local communities is examined, and a number of related issues are addressed, including implementation of partnerships, the proper role for the university in applied work, adaptation of institutional structures and processes, determination of who should benefit from…