ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the creation of outreach universities, characterized by university-community collaborations. The objectives of this new vision of the land-grant university for the twenty-first century are to empower communities and to enrich and revitalize institutions of higher education. The history of the modern university in this country is closely linked with that of philanthropy and the social behavioral sciences. Industrialization and urban expansion fueled waves of international immigration and increased urban poverty, particularly for children. The chapter carries considerable potential for enhancing research on children and youth and for revising and reforming education for the full populace throughout the life course. To maximize its impact, the outreach university should reestablish the ties between philanthropy, education, and research. The research community is large and diverse, but is almost wholly represented by universities, making the outreach university a forceful vehicle for accomplishing change in the research enterprise and for increasing its visibility and usefulness in addressing community problems.
