Using Higher Education-Community Partnerships to Promote Urban Sustainability

Abstract

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes 1. Rosenzweig, C., W. Solecki, S. Hammer, and S. Mehrotra. 2011. First assessment report on climate change and cities. New York: Cambridge University Press. In press. 2. UN Habitat. 2008. State of the world's cities: Harmonious cities. http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/listItemDetails.aspx?publicationID=2562 3. Community in this context is defined as a specific geographic location, its buildings, and all of the residents, social networks, civic organizations, schools, businesses and other locally relevant nodes of exchange and interaction that exist within it. Numerous other types of communities can be defined including individuals or entities with similar essential common characteristics—e.g., members of an organization, fraternity, or association, as well as social media and virtual communities 4. Stafford, S. G., D. M. Bartels, S. Begay-Campbell, J. L. Bubier, J. C. Crittenden, S. L. Cutter, J. R. Delaney, T. E. Jordan, A. C. Kay, G. D. Libecap, J. C. Moore, N. N. Rabalais, D. Rejeski, O. E. Sala, J. M. Shepherd, and J. Travis. 2009. Now is the time for action: Transitions and tipping points in complex environmental systems. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 52 (1): 38–45. 5. Rasmussen, W. D. 2002. Taking the university to the people: Seventy-five years of cooperative extension. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press 6. Grudens-Schuk, N., and B. A. Kramer. 2001. Land-grant universities and extension into the 21st century: Renegotiating or abandoning a social contract. Ames: Iowa State University. 7. Fiske, E. P. 1989. From Rolling Stones to cornerstones: Anchoring land-grant education in the counties through the Smith–Lever Act of 1914. Rural Sociologist 9 (4): 7–14. 8. Boyer, E. 1994. Creating the New American College. Chronicle of Higher Education March 9, A48. 9. Bringle, R. G., and J. A. Hatcher. 1996. Implementing service learning in higher education. Journal Higher Education. 67 (2): 221–39. 10. Bringle, R. G., and J. A. Hatcher. 2002. Campus-community partnerships: Terms of engagement. Journal of Social Issues 58 (3): 503–16. 11. Bringle, R. G., and J. A. Hatcher. 2000. Institutionalization of service learning in higher education. Journal of Higher Education 71 (3): 273–90. 12. Gusto n, D. H., et al. 2000. Report of the Workshop on Boundary Organizations in Environmental Policy and Science. Discussion Paper 2000-32. Piscataway, NJ: Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute at Rutgers University and UMDNJ-RWJMS; Cambridge: Global Environmental Assessment Project, Environment and Natural Resources Program. Environment and Natural Resources Program, Kenne. 13. Vanclay, F., and B. Lawrence. 1994. Farmer rationality and the adoption of environmentally sound practices: A critique of the assumptions of traditional agricultural extension. Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension 1 (1): 59–90. 14. Baum, F., C. MacDougall, and D. Smith. 2006. Participatory action research. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 60:854–57. 15. The following is a list of university and college programs we reviewed for this paper that currently maintain community partnerships that explicitly include at least three of the following elements: urban-focused, sustainability, extension service, and service learning. We do not consider this an exhaustive list of such programs: Arizona State University: School of Sustainability; Alabama A&M University: The Urban Environmental Science Education Program (UESEP); University of Colorado at Boulder: Earth Education; Cornell University: Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE); University of Houston–Clear Lake: Environmental Institution of Houston; University of Illinois–Chicago: Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement; University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth: Office of Campus and Community Sustainability; Michigan State University: Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED); Oberlin College: The Urban Defense Project; Occidental College: Urban & Environmental Policy Institute (UEPI); University of Pennsylvania: The Netter Center for Community Partnerships; Portland State University: Institution for Portland Metropolitan Studies; Pratt Institute: Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment; Tulane University: Center for Public Service; and University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee: Center for Urban Initiatives Research. Recent references for urban/community focused sustainability and service learning campus programs include the following: Glasser; 20 20. Glasser, H. 2010. An early look at building a social learning for sustainability community of practice. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development 4 (1): 61–72. Pearce; 21 21. Pearce, J. M. 2009. Appropedia as a tool for service learning in sustainable development. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development 3:45–53. Riley et al.; 22 22. Riley, D. R., C. E. Thatcher, and E. A. Workman. 2006. Developing and applying green building technology in an indigenous community: An engaged approach to sustainability education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 7 (2): 142–57. Allen-Gil et al.; 23 23. Allen-Gil, S., L. Walker, G. Thomas, T. Shevory, and S. Elan. 2005. Forming a community partnership to enhance education in sustainability. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 6 (4): 392–402. Keen and Baldwin; 24 24. Keen, C., and E. Baldwin. 2004. Students promoting economic development and environmental sustainability: An analysis of the impact of involvement in a community-based research and service-learning program. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. 5 (4): 384–94. Milton and Guevin. 25 25. Milton, C. J., and T. G. Guevin. 2003. Building commitment to sustainability through habitat restoration: A case study of the Valley Forge Christian College. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 4 (3): 250–56. 16. University of Massachusetts–Dartmouth: Sustainability studies. n.d. http://www1.umassd.edu/sustainability/studies/welcome.cfm 17. Urban Defense Project. n.d. http://www.urbandefenseproject.org 18. Dillard University, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. n.d. http://www.dscej.org 19. Pratt Institute, The Pratt Center for Community Development. n.d. http://prattcenter.net/news/retrofit-block-block-inspires-new-citywide-program 20. Glasser, H. 2010. An early look at building a social learning for sustainability community of practice. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development 4 (1): 61–72. 21. Pearce, J. M. 2009. Appropedia as a tool for service learning in sustainable development. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development 3:45–53. 22. Riley, D. R., C. E. Thatcher, and E. A. Workman. 2006. Developing and applying green building technology in an indigenous community: An engaged approach to sustainability education. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 7 (2): 142–57. 23. Allen-Gil, S., L. Walker, G. Thomas, T. Shevory, and S. Elan. 2005. Forming a community partnership to enhance education in sustainability. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 6 (4): 392–402. 24. Keen, C., and E. Baldwin. 2004. Students promoting economic development and environmental sustainability: An analysis of the impact of involvement in a community-based research and service-learning program. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. 5 (4): 384–94. 25. Milton, C. J., and T. G. Guevin. 2003. Building commitment to sustainability through habitat restoration: A case study of the Valley Forge Christian College. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 4 (3): 250–56.