USC Again Tops Saviors of Our Cities List

By Eddie North-Hager on October 12, 2009 10:16 AM

USC is the most neighborly college in the country, according to Evan S. Dobelle, president of Westfield State College.

Dobelle, who as president of Trinity College in the late 1990s oversaw that university’s notable neighborhood outreach effort, placed USC and the University of Pennsylvania at the top of the list of Saviors of Our Cities: A Survey of Best College and University Civic Partnerships.

“This is another affirmation that USC is making a difference in our communities,” said Thomas S. Sayles, vice president of USC’s government and community relations. “We are deeply committed to our neighborhoods and are constantly working to strengthen a relationship that has grown considerably over the years.”

The institutions were selected because of positive impact on their urban communities, including both commercial and residential activities such as revitalization, cultural renewal, economics, community service and development.

“Increasingly more sophisticated partnerships are emerging that are addressing complex issues such as homelessness and health care and are serving as catalysts for community change,” Dobelle said.

Dobelle published his first Saviors of Our Cities survey in 2006, when he was president of the New England Board of Higher Education. USC topped that list as well.

“Led by its visionary president, Steven Sample, USC implements a remarkably far-reaching engagement program,” the survey concluded.

The survey highlighted USC’s Family of School’s program, its service learning emphasis as seen in such programs as the Joint Educational Project and the Business Expansion Network, which provides start-up and continual support for local businesses.

The criteria for judging the schools included:

• length of involvement with the community
• real dollars invested
• presence felt through payroll, research and purchasing power
• faculty and student involvement in community service
• continued sustainability of neighborhood initiatives
• effect on local student access and affordability to attend college through K-12 partnerships.

The survey noted that the University of Pennsylvania has transformed the neighborhood schools of West Philadelphia into “environment-changing institutions.”

A complete list of honorees is at www.wsc.ma.edu/top25saviors

TAGS: community programs

Search search

Search only News Archives