This essay describes the mechanisms and resources necessary to ensure effective engagement in higher education. Entering a second decade of service, our goal is to move beyond defining goals and strategies, and focus upon solidifying the institutional structures and resources needed to sustain our commitment to serving the needs of Baltimore. The…

This keynote address encourages urban and metropolitan universities to be courageous and creative in meeting new social and economic challenges. Explores why universities, products of the Age of Reason, must now face the competitive pressures arising from a collapse of the Authority of Reason. (EV)

Explores the current structure of public higher education and its origins, and discusses why it will not serve well in the rapidly changing world of the new century. Proposes a different and more effective structure, based on the model of today's urban university. (EV)

Describes the various factors that motivate higher education institutions in their pursuit of engagement with the community. Discusses the challenges facing those pursuing such engagement, such as disagreements in the academic community about the merits of community engagement. Asserts that engagement, despite such challenges, is well worth it.…

Asserts that the prevailing model of academic professionalism inhibits faculty members' engagement in their communities and restrains discovery of new knowledge. Proposes an alternative community-oriented model and suggests that reflective practice, epistemological inclusiveness, and redesigned incentives structures are needed to encourage the…

Discusses the advantages of international service learning programs in developing students' language and cross-cultural communication skills, as well as their concept of the world as an interdependent system. Notes characteristics and outcomes of successful international service learning programs, such as the program at the University of North…

Addresses issues of college liability and logistics in off-campus experiential programs, especially programs abroad with service learning components. Warns that liability problems, e.g., safety issues, legal concerns, and ethical responsibility to the local community, can threaten program viability and overshadow learning objectives. Urges…

A graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland recounts her experience on two of the college's service learning trips, one to Guatemala and one to the Gambia. She reports that the international service learning experience had a great impact on her in the areas of career choice, cultural understanding, and personal reflection. (DB)

Compares the service learning experience of college students to the traditional social science technique of participant observation. Suggests that service learning allows students to test theories through personal observation in a service setting and experience the logic and practice of social research. Uses examples from the Xavier University…

A faculty member describes his experience and personal reflections as part of a volunteer project in India and Burma. Draws implications for faculty development through volunteerism and service learning at the local and international levels. Suggests ways in which institutions of higher education can encourage and structure faculty volunteering…

Provides an historical review of state-level assessment research and practice and discusses current objectives and outcomes of state-level assessment policies throughout the United States. Considers possible explanations for the gap between assessment policy objectives and outcomes, and implications for urban institutions of higher education.…

Public-policy centers and institutes are a growing, visible part of many universities. A cross between think tanks and academic units that provide public service, they focus on policy research and facilitation of public discourse. A national survey reveals faculty's role in their work, the applied multidisciplinary nature of their activities, and…

The Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois, Chicago is a high-visibility urban-policy research center that is sometimes drawn into controversial issues. University leadership must defend academic freedom vigorously, but that freedom cannot be used indiscriminately for faculty pronouncements; faculty and administrators must ensure…

Within the context of increasing cultural diversity, colleges and universities face new challenges and opportunities in attempting to forge a community, both on campus and in society at large. Community-building efforts must address the following: proliferation of campus affinity groups; facilitation of constructive intergroup relations; emergence…

A discussion of the issue of providing access to higher education for people of color chronicles briefly the history of black higher education and looks at some strategies used effectively by colleges and universities to overcome color barriers and promote learning simultaneously. (MSE)