Reports the experiences of the Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies at Portland State University (Oregon), formed seven years ago in an effort to connect higher education resources to critical issues facing communities in a six-county metropolitan area. Eight lessons learned concerning the institute's role, its operation, staffing, local…

The history and status of the field of urban and public affairs are discussed, and some characteristics of the 13 existing graduate programs in this area are identified. Ways to organize a high-quality graduate degree program and to avoid common internal institutional obstacles are considered. Some new initiatives in metropolitan universities are…

A British observer compares relationships between universities and local communities in Britain and the United States, highlighting institutional changes necessary to make community involvement central to institutional mission. While U.S. institutions are increasingly involved with communities, British counterparts are limited by external…

For 27 years the Florida Atlantic University Florida International University Joint Center for Environmental and Urban Problems has made major contributions to issues associated with rapid urbanization in southern Florida. Maintaining political support, both in the community and within the two universities, has been crucial to sustaining…

The origins, function, and projects of the Executive Advisory Board on Higher Education (EAB) in Baltimore County (Maryland) are described. The board brings together local government leaders, business executives, and higher education administrators to address issues of mutual concern. Lessons learned in this experiment in regional cooperation are…

At the University of Minnesota, the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs was established as an all-university unit with resources to establish community connections, facilitate and support faculty and graduate student urban research and outreach, and help integrate urban concerns into a large, urban-located land-grant university. Its structure,…

A University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign program involving faculty and students in participatory action research to improve community-based organizations in East St. Louis (Illinois) is described. The project's origins, management, community development strategy, and accomplishments are documented, and some of the institutional, environmental,…

The Trenton (New Jersey) Office of Policy Studies was established in conjunction with Thomas Edison State College to analyze emerging issues in urban public policy. The program is active in the internal life of the city's government while maintaining an independent academic orientation that shields it from political and practical pressures.…