Urban university
Encyclopedia
An urban university is a U.S. term for institution of higher learning that is socially involved and serves as a resource for educating the citizens of the city or region in which it is located. That is, the urban university must be “of” the city as well as “in” the city.
At one time the term urban university might be used only to describe institutions located in central cities, but this is no longer the case. Urban sprawl
and the advent of edge cities has not so much made urban obsolete as to change conventional notions of what constitutes urban. Today an urban university is one located in an urban agglomeration irrespective of political boundaries or administrative definitions.
An urban university operates with a closely meshed and intertwined mission, milieu, and environment. An operational definition of the urban university would incorporate both its setting and the clientele it serves. The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities suggests several criteria applying to such institutions in the United States:
More than six dozen universities in the United States
would qualify as urban universities under these criteria. Columbia University
, New York University
, University of Chicago
, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Pennsylvania
, UAB, Portland State University
and Wayne State University
are examples of well-known urban universities.
The term is also often used to refer to public institutions with large part-time and commuter student bodies. Such usage sometimes tacitly assumes relatively low academic standards as implicit in the student body's low income and part-time, commuter status. Clearly such criteria are not necessary to the definition of an urban university and may reflect subtle racism
and classism
that tacitly equates certain groups with lower academic abilities and achievement. Insofar as this is true, urban universities have been criticized for contributing to institutional racism
.
The history of university-community relations in 20th century America was characterized by periods of optimism and innovative action followed by disillusionment. During the years when cities were rapidly growing as a result of immigration and migration from the countryside, academics contributed to the search for solutions to urban problems and played a major role in the Progressive movement. After World War I, research became increasingly esoteric, its focus shifting to national and international issues, until, with the 1960s, efforts to find accommodations with a restive local community spawned a wide variety of new programs. The advent of new technology appeared to satisfy needs for both research and jobs, but it also produced new frictions. In the present decade, new models for partnership and cooperation have evolved and community involvement has been linked more closely with the educational mission of the university.
At one time the term urban university might be used only to describe institutions located in central cities, but this is no longer the case. Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
and the advent of edge cities has not so much made urban obsolete as to change conventional notions of what constitutes urban. Today an urban university is one located in an urban agglomeration irrespective of political boundaries or administrative definitions.
An urban university operates with a closely meshed and intertwined mission, milieu, and environment. An operational definition of the urban university would incorporate both its setting and the clientele it serves. The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities suggests several criteria applying to such institutions in the United States:
- Location in a major metropolitan area
- Dedication to achieving excellence through teaching, research, and public service
- A diverse student body reflecting the demographic composition of the region
- Responsiveness and service to the local region as part of the university's mission
- Serves the region not only by providing an educated citizenry and workforce, but also as a cultural and intellectual resource
- Engages in partnerships with other local organizations
- Uses practical experience in the urban setting to enhance students' education
More than six dozen universities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
would qualify as urban universities under these criteria. Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, UAB, Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
and Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
are examples of well-known urban universities.
The term is also often used to refer to public institutions with large part-time and commuter student bodies. Such usage sometimes tacitly assumes relatively low academic standards as implicit in the student body's low income and part-time, commuter status. Clearly such criteria are not necessary to the definition of an urban university and may reflect subtle racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and classism
Classism
Classism is prejudice or discrimination on the basis of social class. It includes individual attitudes and behaviors, systems of policies and practices that are set up to benefit the upper classes at the expense of the lower classes...
that tacitly equates certain groups with lower academic abilities and achievement. Insofar as this is true, urban universities have been criticized for contributing to institutional racism
Institutional racism
Institutional racism describes any kind of system of inequality based on race. It can occur in institutions such as public government bodies, private business corporations , and universities . The term was coined by Black Power activist Stokely Carmichael in the late 1960s...
.
The history of university-community relations in 20th century America was characterized by periods of optimism and innovative action followed by disillusionment. During the years when cities were rapidly growing as a result of immigration and migration from the countryside, academics contributed to the search for solutions to urban problems and played a major role in the Progressive movement. After World War I, research became increasingly esoteric, its focus shifting to national and international issues, until, with the 1960s, efforts to find accommodations with a restive local community spawned a wide variety of new programs. The advent of new technology appeared to satisfy needs for both research and jobs, but it also produced new frictions. In the present decade, new models for partnership and cooperation have evolved and community involvement has been linked more closely with the educational mission of the university.
See also
- Wisconsin IdeaWisconsin IdeaThe Wisconsin Idea is the political philosophy developed in the American state of Wisconsin that fosters public universities' contributions to the state: "to the government in the forms of serving in office, offering advice about public policy, providing information and exercising technical skill,...
- Kerr, Clark. 1967. The Urban-Grant University: A Model for the Future. Lecture given to Centennial Meeting of The City College Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, New York, October 18, 1967