2018 UAA Annual Conference

The City of Hartford, Connecticut, is in trouble. Financially it teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, affecting its schools, public services, and so much more. Hartford is not unique. Other mid-sized cities in the US have faced or are facing similar extreme economic trials. In August 2017, the University of Connecticut moved its Greater Hartford regional campus from a suburban area into downtown Hartford. The university, city, and state hope that the university can contribute to the city’s economic recovery. Certainly its presence is bringing students, faculty, and staff to downtown businesses, especially to coffee shops, restaurants, and bars. And, of course, even before the move programs on the campus (e.g., social work, urban and community studies, business) have been engaged with the community through service learning, engaged scholarship, and student internships. Still, there is more to creating a livable city than supporting downtown retail and student projects in the community. It is time to think about bigger impacts in university-community collaborations. In this colloquy, we invite urban scholars from public universities in other distressed cities to share their experiences. The discussion will focus on ways that the universities have improved life for residents and for the city as a whole, with a desire to share ideas and brainstorm new ones. 


Moderator: Louise Simmons, University of Connecticut 

Similarities and Differences in Public and Private University Community Engagement 
Meagan Ehlenz, Arizona State University

Experiences in University-Community Collaborations in New Orleans 
Marla Nelson, University of New Orleans

Experiences in University-Community Collaborations in Orlando and Elsewhere 
Robyne Stevenson, University of Central Florida

Experiences in University-Community Collaborations in Buffalo 
Henry Taylor, University at Buffalo

Experiences in University-Community Collaborations in Newark
Sherri-Ann P. Butterfield, Rutgers University, Newark

Summing Up the Discussion with a Focus on Action Items 
Edith Barrett, University of Connecticut