Pitt and CMU among top civic partners (Pittsburgh, Carnegie: neighborhoods, middle school)

[BrianTH]

This is an update of a survey first conducted in 2006, ranking colleges and universities based on their positive impact on the cities in which they are located (note the survey excludes colleges and universities in small college towns):

http://www.wsc.ma.edu/Announcements/...20Overview.pdf

From the introduction:

“Saviors of Our Cities: Survey of Best College and University Civic Partnerships” is an extension of Dr. Evan Dobelle’s original survey and ranking of civically engaged colleges and universities that appeared in 2006. “Civic Engagement,” in this sense, refers to the positive economic, social, and cultural impact that institutions of higher education have upon the cities in which they reside. Results illustrate the broad range of engagement initiatives currently being implemented and are designed to analyze the evolution, maturation, and growing sophistication of these efforts which have proven so vital to metropolitan areas across the nation.

There is more available on the methodology, which involved conducting interviews and performing analysis involving ten factors over the course of a year.

Penn and USC were tied for first, after which came Dayton and Pitt tied for what they called second (I would say third)--making Pitt the top public university. The narrative writeup on Pitt:

Pitt’s motto is, “The city is our campus,” and through an engagement program, which builds upon the historic connection between institution and metropolitan area, the university has played a key role in helping to economically, culturally, and physically revitalize Pittsburgh. Working through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Pitt created the Community Outreach Partnership Center, which has leveraged the university’s resources in a manner, which supports neighborhood partnerships in order to address neighborhood concerns. The selection of the city as the site of the 2009 G20 Summit reflects an urban economy discovering “life after steel.” PITT ARTS connects the university’s students with the city’s emerging and energetic art scene. Pitt has set the dimensions and pace of engagement in Pittsburgh. Its neighborhood collaborations have resulted in physically and economically revitalized neighborhoods. Neighborhood is the key here. Pitt’s engagement benefits the entire metropolitan region, one neighborhood at a time.

Carnegie Mellon also made the top 25 list, at #19. The writeup:

The Leonard Gelfand Center for Service Learning and Outreach coordinates and makes public much of CMU’s community engagement efforts. These include Strategies for Engineering Education, which provides middle school girls with an opportunity to spend two weeks every year in “hands on, multidisciplinary engineering activities focusing on the theme of energy.” Its Summer Academy for Mathematics and Science prepares high school students for the rigorous curriculum they will face as college engineering, science, and mathematics majors. The university emphasizes the similarities between engineering and music and thus its School of Music, through its Keyboard and Drumming Projects, seeks to enhance music instruction in the Pittsburg [sic] Public Schools. Its powerful engineering and design schools have been instrumental in hundreds of “start up” companies.

On a personal note, it is nice to see some recognition of the positive local impact of these universities that goes beyond just the standard story about their economic impact (not that the economic impact isn't important).

[Fiddlehead]

This is great to hear. I have always felt that universities should lead, and be placed in places needing leadership, but sometimes they seem to become enclaves of the wealthy or elite. In California, for example, the University of California system have been clustered largely in some of the wealthiest, most scenic cities of the state, with large areas not served. This has finally changed with the recent establishment of UC Merced in the relatively poor, largely hispanic San Joaquin Valley.

I have been pondering this, because reading about the mission of the original Carnegie Institute of Technology, it seemed the mission was to educate the children of the working class. However, as a university becomes successful it becomes a target for best and brightest from around the country, who are disproportionately from priviledged backgrounds. This attraction of talent is a positive thing, of course, but might be negative if the local connection is weakened. Glad to hear they (Pitt and CMU) are so engaged.

[bethany12]

They are government jobs. The government can not drive the economy. You are seeing that now in the city and the problems it is causing.

[Joshbarblahblah]

They are not government jobs. Neither Pitt nor CMU are public universities. Pitt is a state-related school (i.e. given some money from state but not controlled by it) and CMU is private.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by bethany12

They are government jobs.

Well, CMU is private. And even Pitt generates revenues by selling services, attracts research funding, helps spin off private companies, and so on.

Edit: I see I was beaten to this point.

The government can not drive the economy. You are seeing that now in the city and the problems it is causing.

The universities are just one component of the city's economy--which is doing quite well in the recession, by the way, at least relatively speaking.

[Fiddlehead]

Not to bag on Bethany, but I think it is important to realize that landing a research university in your town is a huge benefit, regardless of whether it is state or private-funded. In all the college towns I have lived in, which is at least a half dozen, the university attracts young people who spend money in town, faculty to spend money, staff,etc.,etc. In most cases that money is coming from a broader geographic area and being concentrated in the town. Not to mention bright students who stay, start up businesses. Nice to be on the receiving end of the money and brain drain. Gentrification can sometimes follow, to be sure, but overall I would say the net effect is overwhelmingly positive.

[Joshbarblahblah]

I'd suggest taking a look at this: http://www.g20.pitt.edu/docs/econimpact09.pdf

It gives a pretty good idea of Pitt's economic impact. Now, the information is supplied by Pitt which used a revised version of a standard methodology - so there is a possibility for bias. I'd really like to see an economic impact report done by a third party; but, this will have to do for the time being.