Metropolitan Universities as Responsible Corporate Citizens

Abstract

Metropolitan colleges and universities are not only academic institutions; they are also corporate entities with responsibilities regarding their physical and social environment that go beyond their educational mission. At a minimum they should be held to the same set of standards and expectations regarding potentially adverse effects that private sector enterprises have come to accept as part of their price of doing business. As academic institutions they should also take the initiative to improve their neighborhood. Occidental College in Los Angeles is a case study of an institution attempting to rise to the challenge of being a good corporate citizen by looking for ways of directly tying its educational mission to the well-being of its neighbors, and by using its institutional influence and assets to address broader social problems.