University & Community Partnerships

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health

CCPH is a nonprofit membership organization that promotes health through partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions. CCPH has members throughout the United States and increasingly the world who are collaborating to promote health through service-learning, community-based participatory research, broad-based coalitions and other community-academic partnership strategies. Read more about Community-Campus Partnerships for Health...

Commission on Urban Initiatives

The Commission works in cooperation with the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU) to promote urban issues and programs on behalf of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (formerly the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges). Over the years, the group has encouraged and promoted strong partnerships among its member institutions and federal departments and agencies in areas of mutual interest, including the HUD Office of University Partnerships and urban extension programs. Read more about Commission on Urban Initiatives...

Coalition of Urban Serving Universities

The Coalition of Urban Serving Universities is a group of urban research universities in metropolitan areas with populations of 450,000 or more that have come together to develop a common urban university agenda. The Coalition's work focuses in three areas: building partnerships with K-12 schools, working with community groups to reduce urban health disparities, and supporting partnerships in community economic development and wealth building. In its work, the Coalition also aims to identify and expand innovative models of university-community partnerships across U.S. cities. Read more about Coalition of Urban Serving Universities...

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: Community Engagement

The Carnegie Foundation defines community engagement as “the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.” When Carnegie launched its elective community engagement rating in December 2006, 76 schools met the standards set by the foundation's advisory committee, including Penn, UCLA, Minnesota, Arizona State, Emory, Tufts, Michigan State, DePaul, NYU, North Carolina, Portland State, and Indiana University Read more about Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: Community Engagement...

Campus Compact

Founded in 1985, Campus Compact has grown to represent 950 college presidents. The focus of the organization is on advancing higher education's civic mission. The organization has been a leader in the promotion of service learning (learning outside the classroom) and university-community partnerships. Read more about Campus Compact...

Campaign for Environmental Literacy

Working to organize and mobilize the collective tools and assets of the environmental education community, the Campaign for Environmental Literacy's mission is to secure federal support and encouragement for innovative environmental education programs across the nation. In addition to lobbying for increased federal funds, the Campaign works to increase the quantity and quality of environmental education across the country, focusing on the environmental education field and raising the awareness of the general public. Read more about Campaign for Environmental Literacy...

Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, "Kellogg Commission"

Founded in 1887, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) is the nation's oldest higher education association, with over 250 members, about a third of which are land grant colleges while the remainder are state university systems and state comprehensive colleges. The Kellogg Commission report, issued in 2000 and available on line, identified renewed community engagement as the critical land grant mission of the 21st century. The web site also has many supporting publications and reports. Read more about Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, "Kellogg Commission"...

American Indian Higher Education Consortium

AIHEC was founded in 1972 by the presidents of the nation's first six Tribal Colleges as an informal collaboration among member colleges. Today, the group has grown to represent 34 colleges in the United States and one Canadian institution. AIHEC aims to support the work of these colleges, encourage the development of new tribal colleges, and encourage the participation of American Indians in the development of higher education policy. Read more about American Indian Higher Education Consortium...

American Association of State Colleges and Universities, "American Democracy Project"

The American Democracy Project is a multi-campus initiative that seeks to create an intellectual and experiential understanding of civic engagement for undergraduates enrolled at institutions that are members of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. The project web site includes a number of presentations regarding the theory behind the program, as well as a listing of participating colleges. Read more about American Association of State Colleges and Universities, "American Democracy Project"...

American Association of Colleges and Universities, "Civic Engagement"

AAC&U is a membership organization of over 1,000 universities across the country. This website has links to descriptions of AAC&U's main civic engagement initiatives and programs, as well as to a number of publications regarding the role of universities in promoting civic engagement by students and faculty. Read more about American Association of Colleges and Universities, "Civic Engagement"...

Alliance for Equity in Higher Education

AEHE brings together three groups representing Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). All told, these colleges educate more than one-third of all American Indian, Hispanic, and African American students in the United States on 340 campuses. The association's BEAMS (Building Engagement and Attainment of Minority Students) project assists these colleges, through the use of surveys and other means, to develop action plans to increase student learning. Read more about Alliance for Equity in Higher Education...

University of Utah, Lowell Bennion Community Service Center

Founded in 1987, the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center adheres to a team approach to recruiting, training, and selecting issues on which to focus. Through student leadership, volunteer participation grew dramatically (from 546 to 1,409 volunteers) in the first year. At last count, the Center had nearly 8,000 volunteers performing more than 250,000 hours of service to the community. Read more about University of Utah, Lowell Bennion Community Service Center...

University Northside Partnership

As a collaboration between the University of Minnesota and many others, including NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center, the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County and Northside community organizations, the University Northside Partnership is an effort to improve the community of North Minneapolis' social and economic environment. Several objectives of this initiative include increasing job training and business opportunities, improving reading skills and learning outcomes for young children, and responding to the identified needs and interests of the community. Read more about University Northside Partnership...

University of Georgia, "Public Service and Outreach"

The University of Georgia has a broad vision of its public service mission. Current areas of concentration include anti-poverty initiatives, working with Georgia's Latino communities, economic development, and service learning. Read more about University of Georgia, "Public Service and Outreach"...

Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods

The University of Louisville's Housing & Neighborhood Development Strategies (HANDS) is a multifaceted program bringing the University's resources to bear on the problems of an impoverished African-American neighborhood. HANDS includes case management, job training, leadership development, education, home ownership, and community design. Read more about Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods...

Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement (SLiCE)

Colorado State's Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement (SLiCE) office promotes leadership development, service-learning and volunteer opportunities. One of its programs is its Alternative Spring Break program, which places approximately 100 students a year in short-term intern positions with non-profit community groups from across the country. Read more about Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement (SLiCE) ...

Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance

Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA) is a partnership between Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford Hospital and Trinity College that works cooperatively with the community to develop leadership and improve the economic, physical and social characteristics of Hartford's Frog Hollow, Barry Square and South Green neighborhoods. The partnership has promoted homeownership, jobs for neighborhood residents, and community commercial development. Read more about Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance...

Partnership for Community Development, Colgate University

Founded in 1998 as a partnership between Colgate University and the Town and Village of Hamilton, New York, the Partnership for Community Development has fostered small business development; provided design help and funding to improve building facades and streetscapes in the five-block business district of downtown Hamilton; helped restore the Village Green; and established retail and marketing support for local arts and crafts. To date, Colgate has provided $630,000 in funding, which has leveraged over $1.5 million from private sector, foundation, and government sources. Read more about Partnership for Community Development, Colgate University...

Irwin W. Steans Center, DePaul University

The Irwin W. Steans Center for Community-based Service Learning was founded to integrate the service concept into the University's curricula. DePaul's commitment to service is part of its Vincentian, Catholic, and Urban Mission: to foster through higher education a deep respect for the dignity of all persons, especially the materially, culturally, and spiritually deprived; and to instill in its students a dedication of service to others. Read more about Irwin W. Steans Center, DePaul University...