Comment

Comment by Shawn on October 14, 2009 at 1:46pm

From a story in the New York Times, "Among Dr. Dobelle’s criteria are “faculty and student involvement in community service,” “real dollars invested,” “effect on local student access and affordability to attend college through K-12 partnerships,” and “qualitative esprit in the institution and its engagement.”

They may make a great neighbor for "the whole city", but maybe not so much for it's "neighbor" to it's west, the 19th Ward. Plus the amount of money they are pouring into the Elmwood / Mt Hope area, is mostly government money for research.

At the bottom of the article they ask "...have first-hand experience with the neighborly side of these institutions? How about nominees of their own?" Feel free to let them know about the what's going on here.

Comment by MacClurg Vivian on October 14, 2009 at 11:33am

That surprises me. I have always had the impression that U/R sets goals for community engagement, and then fades away. More talk than action. I think they may do better with community engagement vis a vis their medical programs; their campus is pretty much inaccessible to visitors, due to their limited parking, so I often avoid going to events there. I am not impressed to be honest. However, I have noticed that RIT is making great efforts to collaborate with area groups. What has been your experience with these institutions? I am open to hearing more/finding out more for sure. I think getting on that list may have something to do with who submits what data.

Comment by Matt Johnson on October 12, 2009 at 10:53pm

Well done U of R. I hope this means that they'll work even harder in their efforts to improve the area around the university, especially the 19th ward. Since I've been a student there, there has a been a big push to get kids off campus and it would be great if they got behind more projects to help make the 19th ward a better place for everyone, including students, to live.