ABSTRACT
From community colleges to major research universities, relations to surrounding communities are central to the higher educational agenda. The institutions of higher education profiled in this book are using various strategies to revitalize local neighborhoods while concurrently fulfilling some aspect of their institutional mission. The original aim of this research was to determine whether or not community partnerships could be compatible with the missions of institutions of higher education. At all levels of higher education, I would have to conclude that community partnerships make sense to varying degrees for colleges and universities, in both academic and economic dimensions of their missions. Mutual interests between local communities and institutions of higher education do exist, and they seem to become more apparent through lengthy relationship-building processes. Colleges and universities seem to face the greatest challenges when they attempt to institutionalize these efforts. So we know that community partnerships make sense for institutions of higher education, but how can they, for example, become more compatible with the institutional culture and raise longterm external funds?
