Sustaining Liberal Arts Colleges Through Community Partnerships and the Co-Production of Knowledge

Abstract

There was a time when universities located in cities set themselves apart from urban life, even, in some cases, building walls that isolated their campuses. As the Cold War and Space Race accelerated the demand for academic expertise, government funding for basic and applied research became a mainstay of higher education. With the end of the Cold War, many institutions turned to a greater concern with addressing domestic societal needs. As state funding began its steady and continuing decline, urban universities developed programs to demonstrate the value they add to cities and metropolitan regions, and public-private partnerships took root. Liberal arts colleges are now being challenged to demonstrate their relevance and value. Their future is in part predicated on their success in building stronger, more strategic, and mutually beneficial relationships beyond their campus, specifically by collaborating with and adding value to the cities and metropolitan areas in which they are located. A movement that started in public universities should now be adopted more widely by liberal arts colleges.