May 2015 Partners in Progress eNewsletter

May 2015 Partners in Progress eNewsletter

University of Massachusetts Creates More than Jobs through the Wellspring Collaborative
The Center for Public Policy and Administration (CPPA) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has undertaken a project to create jobs in Springfield. Although it has high levels of unemployment and empty factories, this Central Massachusetts city is also home to numerous universities, hospitals, and other anchor institutions that spend more than $1.5 billion for goods and services annually. Hoping to capture some of the institutions' spending to benefit local businesses, CPPA and other area partners established the Wellspring Collaborative in 2013. Read More

Universities Investing in Their Communities: Student- and Administration-Led Approaches
According to a recent report by the Democracy Collaborative and the Responsible Endowments Coalition, colleges and universities could be doing more to improve their communities. In "Raising Student Voices: Student Action for University Community Investment," authors Joe Guinan, Sarah McKinley, and Benzamin Yi recommend a new model for universities to effectively invest in their local communities. In this model, students initiate the conversation, administrators implement the investments, and community members hold the university accountable for these investments over time. Read More

How to Make Place Matter
On September 12, 2014, Albright College's new Center for Civic and Global Engagement hosted a conference called "Place Matters: Partnerships between Higher Education and their Local Communities" with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of University Partnerships, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania Campus Compact. Twenty-one speakers highlighted examples of successful anchor institutions throughout Pennsylvania, exploring their ability to improve healthy food access, employment readiness, and educational outcomes of students and community members. Read More