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An Urban Agenda for the 21st Century:

The Urban Research and


Outreach/Engagement Center & the
University Northside Partnership

Senior Vice President Robert Jones


System Academic Administration
VISION: Improve the human condition through the
advancement of knowledge

MISSION: Dynamic public engagement

ESSENTIAL COMMITMENT: Address critical


needs of state, nation, world
21st Century is the Urban Age
• Majority of world’s population lives in
cities
• 60% of Minnesota residents live in the
Twin Cities commuting area
• Minneapolis, the largest city, has
350,000 residents, 35% of whom are
racially diverse
• Minneapolis Public Schools serve
more than 36,000 students, a highly
diverse population with more than 90
languages spoken in homes
• Minnesota is mosaic of cities
(Rochester, St. Cloud, Duluth)
• Urban/rural interface (Worthington,
Willmar)
National Urban Agenda
for Higher Education
2006 Summer Meeting:
– National Association of State Universities and Land-
Grant Colleges (NASULGC)
– NASULGC Commission on the Urban Agenda
– Coalition of Urban Serving Universities
Three Strategic Priorities:
– Human Capital
– Strengthening Communities
– Urban Health
Crafting An Urban Agenda

• How does a 21st Century urban land-grant


university effectively use its intellectual
resources and knowledge to benefit its urban
community neighbors?
Crafting An Urban Agenda (cont)

• How can we craft an urban agenda


based on a key principle of public
engagement?
Crafting An Urban Agenda (cont)

• How do we build practices of


partnerships with community
organizations that respect their needs
and interests and leverage their assets
and expertise along with the
University’s own for mutual benefit?
The University’s Urban
Agenda
Strengthening Community –
economic development, job skills, reduce poverty
Building Human Capital –
education, early childhood development
Improving Health –
eliminate health disparities, provide evidence-based
mental health services for children and families,
emphasize nutrition and healthy lifestyles
Portrait of an
Urban Community

Minneapolis’
Northside
North Minneapolis Demographics
The Northside is a highly diverse area of ~ 9 sq/miles with 63,000 people:
41% African Americans and African immigrants,
34% Caucasians;
14% Asians, including many Hmong immigrants,
4% Latinos (and increasing).
The Northside is culturally rich with a vibrant social history and a strong sense
of identity. But its residents experience significantly greater challenges than
most other Minneapolis communities:
Unemployment is higher than in any other area of Minneapolis
More than one-third of children ages 5 and under live in poverty.
Twenty-five percent of the children removed from homes in Minneapolis for
maltreatment are from near North neighborhoods.
Community Partners
NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center
Northside Residents Redevelopment Council (NRRC)
• Conducted community vote, results supported UNP
Northway Trust
Phyllis Wheatley Community Center
Coalition of Black Churches
Local Government
– City of Minneapolis - Mayor, City Council, staff
– Hennepin County – Commissioners and staff
and growing….
University Northside Partnership
Vision: Building on the assets and potential of
North Minneapolis to bring a shared vision of
hope and prosperity to life

Guiding Principles:
• Meaningful
• Sustainable
• Cooperative
• Generative
From UNP…
University Northside Partnership

Convening mechanism for partner


organizations
to UROC
Urban Research and Outreach/Engagment Center

Coordination & delivery mechanism for


outreach, research and engagement
programs & activities in the community

Physical presence/facility for those programs


Building on Best Practices

6 Research &
Outreach Centers
Forestry Station
Itasca Biology Station

Extension Regional
18 Centers AND in every
county
Building on Best Practices (cont)
Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships
• The Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships work
to sustain Minnesota's natural resource-based communities
and industries by addressing community-identified
agriculture, natural resources, and tourism issues in
partnership with the University of Minnesota.
• A second goal is to build and strengthen effective
relationships between the University of Minnesota and the
citizens and communities it serves.
Urban Research and Outreach
Center (UROC) Model
• Physical presence
• Intentional and strategic programming
• Interdisciplinary approach
• Sustainable partnerships
• Measurable outcomes with significant
impact
UROC will:
1. Anchor the University’s presence in the
community
2. Coordinate and facilitate new & existing
research, outreach and engagement activities
on the Northside
3. Provide enhanced community access to
University programs and services
UROC Staffing

• Executive Director
• Administrative Assistant
• Community Liaison
• University Liaison
• ….and growing
UROC PROGRAMS
Affiliated UROC Programs
Core UROC Programs
• Child & Family Center (will relocate to new
• UROC Administration
facility within 2 years)
• CIED-Center for Innovation & Economic
Development • Urban AHEC- (Area Health Education
• FIPSE-UROC-Fund for the Center)
Improvement of Postsecondary Education • Center for Community Collaboration &
• UNP Work Groups- Health (AHC)
University/Community Collaborations
• Extension-Urban Youth Dev, Nutrition
• Urban Food Enterprise (Exploration Education, Family Development, Master
stage)
Gardner
• The University Northside
Partnership Office • CEED- FHu5, Center for Response to
Intervention in Early Childhood
• CLA Departmental Community
Coordinators-African American, Native
American, Latino, & Asian American Studies)
UNP Work Groups

• Academic Leadership
–Dean Darlyne Bailey of CEHD
monitors effectiveness of UNP
through work group process
–Associate Dean Heidi Barajas helps
coordinate the involvement of faculty
across the institution
Fund for the Improvement of Post-
Secondary Education (FIPSE) Grant
• $1,153,000, three-year grant entitled, “Re-envisioning
Land Grant and Other Urban Research Universities for an
Urban Age"
• Multi-disciplinary collaborative research and outreach
programs;
• Training experiences for graduate and professional
students and service learning for undergraduates;
• University/community teams will develop
collaborative activities/programs in education (use of
out-of-school time); economic development
(internships/entrepreneur experiences); and health
(nutrition/obesity/healthy foods).
FIPSE Work Groups
• Teams of University and community people are
developing collaborative efforts in education (use of
out-of-school time); economic development
(internships/entrepreneur experiences); and health
(nutrition/obesity/healthy foods).
• Three working groups have chosen pilot projects for
this summer that will help guide future collaborations.
• A program coordinator and graduate assistants have
been hired for the project.
Faculty Engagement in UNP &
FIPSE Work groups
• Over 70 faculty who represent different
departments & disciplines

• Active participation in collaborative work group

• Projects focus on three areas of urban agenda


Impact of Faculty Engagement

• Strengthens existing partnerships


• Creates opportunity for new partnerships
• Raises profile of community partners’ assets
• Encourages the development of educational
options to enrich student learning, such as
internships & service learning
University Partners
Center for Early Education and Development (CEED)
Northside Initiative
500 under 5: Research for Community Development
• Goal
– To contribute to improved school readiness through research that
informs parents, communities, and programs, and contributes
directly to improved services and supports

• Plan
– Invite all children under age 5 and their families to participate
– Assess progress toward school readiness
– Identify child, family, neighborhood, and service contributions to
school readiness
– Share findings with community members, service agencies, and
government
University Partners
Center for Urban & Regional Affairs (CURA)

• The Northside Seed Grants program, administered


by the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, was
established to support neighborhood-initiated and
neighborhood-guided projects submitted by North
Minneapolis community organizations to
strengthen existing and foster emerging
community-University partnerships.
University Partners
Child and Family Center

• Headed by Dr. Dante Cicchetti, world-renowned expert


in developmental psychology & psychopathology
• Evidenced-based treatment for neglected and
maltreated children and their families based on
extensive research
• Interventions emphasize prevention and intervention
• Involves translational and collaborative research
• Community partner is Hennepin County NorthPoint
Health and Wellness in shared facilities
University Partners
Business and Community Economic Development Office

Northside Initiative
Center for Innovation & Economic Development
• Received $350,000 Empowerment Zone grant for youth
entreprenurial programs
• Will provide technical assistance to minority & women
businesses, and nonprofits
A 21st Century Engaged Urban
University

“Driven to discover solutions to


complex issues facing urban
communities ”
+ Community Partners
Equals

Success

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