The School of Education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City is addressing the urban teacher retention challenge through its Institute for Urban Education (IUE). IUE focuses on recruiting individuals from underrepresented populations who have a commitment to their urban communities. Its curriculum is distinguished by five features: (1) an…

Systemic, university-school-community partnerships characterize efforts by Georgia State University to enhance preparation of urban teachers and urban student success. A partnership with the Atlanta Housing Authority focuses on family education in mixed-income communities. Work with the National Parks Service's Martin Luther King, Jr., Center…

The University of Minnesota is helping provide greater college access for students from immigrant families who must learn to negotiate a new culture and language as well as manage lives often marked by poverty and under-funded urban schools. In the University's Commanding English program, immigrant high school students study both at their high…

For almost twenty-five years, North Carolina State University has helped to coordinate a state-wide Mathematics and Science Education Network Pre-College Program that serves disadvantaged youth in grades six through twelve. The university-school partnership includes middle school and high school academic enrichment in math, science, and…

Project BEST (Basic Educational Skills and Training) is a mentoring program involving Virginia Commonwealth University students and area middle school students. In the two-tiered program, VCU faculty mentor the Project BEST college students who, in turn, serve as mentors to the middle school students. Activities include Saturday mathematics and…

Lessons from the work of the eleven Urban Educator Corps member institutions are outlined. They include the necessity to create strong partnerships, foster university leadership and address a compelling local need. Successful initiatives build strong financial networks as well as connect the classroom with the community and with parents and…

We present a case study of how our College has risen to the challenge brought about by the unintended consequences of the No Child Left Behind Act. We describe the steps in our journey, including framing research questions responsive to community needs, providing support for faculty to embrace "engaged" scholarship, and working with lawmakers to…

This paper describes the experience of one university in developing a Shared Vision and planning strategically for achieving it. At Indiana University Northwest, strategic planning is an ongoing process that is moving the campus toward its vision for the future and the long-term outcomes derived from it. Unlike traditional strategic outcomes that…

Education is a primary mission of metropolitan universities. This article measures the value of education at the level of a student credit hour-the metric. It applies this metric to determine the value of education transmitted at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) for one academic year and the total contribution of UNO to the economy of the…

This paper examines a study of the wastewater collection and treatment issues of Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas by University of Arkansas at Little Rock personnel and how it constitutes dialogic public relations. The paper defines dialogic public relations using Kent and Taylor's work and then uses their criteria to describe how this…

Structuring an environment to support learning through engagement can enrich the learning experience; can allow for scholarship opportunities; and can support development within the region. Structuring an environment to support learning through engagement can support the university achieving its mission. How? Effectively implementing a program of…

Liberal arts colleges infrequently appear as prominent models of civic engagement. Yet their low profile and limited role in the higher education engagement discourse masks great potential. This article challenges these institutions to connect liberal education and civic engagement and argues that this is practicable within current priorities and…

This paper uses data from the 2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000) and the 1996 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:96/01) to examine some behaviors and outcomes for immigrants and/or students who spoke a primary language other than English as children as compared to those of other citizens and English…

Colleges today see extra-curricular activities as ways to improve student retention and enhance the collegiate experience. This study examines student involvement, including participation in college activities, using campus facilities, communication patterns and campus friendships. Key predictors of involvement are identified from demographics,…

This article explains the value to our campus community of a vibrant conversation addressing the question: What does it mean to be an educated person? Our ongoing, campus-wide dialogue began in 2003 and brings San Jose State employees and students together to explore the question of what skills, knowledge, dispositions and habits an educated…