This research examines the significance of higher education institutions (HEIs) as anchors in their host cities and their community engagement strategies between 1980 and 2020. By examining four case studies of urban-based universities that are members of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) across diverse geographical and…

During the past decade, urban colleges and universities have been undergoing changes attributable to the reemergence of outreach initiatives. More recently, these outreach efforts have been specifically designed to increase community engagement among faculty and students and to lend the institution's scientific, policy and social service expertise…

The article is meant to assess the ways in which the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and its Great Cities Commitment can serve as a model of academic institutional change that anchors or is, otherwise, foundational to academic institutional achievement and urban development. Through both normative discussion and case study, the article…

The University of Dayton's Raymond L. Fitz, S.M. Center for Leadership in Community has a long history that is emblematic of its mission to "initiate and sustain partnerships with urban neighborhoods and larger communities by working at comprehensive community building and providing a context for connected learning and scholarship" (Fitz…

Urban university leaders must reestablish public confidence through communication, clear mission and identity, deregulation of higher education, confrontation of fiscal realities and urban mission, and a recreated sense of community. Leadership types include several models and the complex challenges of urban universities demand effective…

The University of Illinois at Chicago is using the Great Cities concept to address critical urban issues through new ways of combining teaching, research, and service and by working in partnership with others. Key factors in establishing this institutional mission nd partnership process are leadership, broad-based participation, and realism. (JB)

Kent State University (Ohio), a traditional residential institution located near an urban center, is grappling with urban challenges by redefining institutional success, expanding definitions of scholarship, reducing program complexity to enhance completion rates, supporting teamwork and unit productivity, valuing senior members of the…

Kennesaw State College (Georgia) adopted an invitational approach to create an environment which encouraged and affirmed students, faculty, staff and administrators. A new institutional environment aimed at serving diverse, contemporary needs and involved commitment to shared governance, encouragement of leadership at all levels, community…

This volume contains 29 readings reprinted from the journal "Metropolitan Universities: An International Forum," selected to demonstrate the unique mission and characteristics of metropolitan universities and to recognize the special challenges they face in addressing the nation's major urban issues. The papers include: "What Is a Metropolitan…