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 The Kellogg Foundation recently awarded a $150,000 grant to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) to work with the Alliance for Regional Stewardship to promote, support and study partnerships between state institutions of higher learning and their regional communities. The purpose of the partnership is to (1) raise awareness of regional stewardship and its application nationwide among state college and university leaders and their regional stakeholders; and (2) work intensively with select state colleges and universities and their regional partners in order to better equip them to serve as catalysts for regional stewardship.
In pursuing this partnership, AASCU and ARS will collaborate with several key organizations, including American Humanics and the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), in addition to forming relationships with such groups as the Committee for Economic Development, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Governors Association, the National League of Cities, and State Higher Education Executive Officers.
The project, entitled Making Place Matter: Regional Stewardship and State Colleges and Universities, will be carried forward in three phases. The first phase will focus on the development of two documentsa monograph discussing the major characteristics of the emerging global economy and its implications for higher education, and a diagnostic audit for regions and universities to use in assessing the status of their stewardship and mutual engagement efforts. The principal component of the second phase will consist of a two-day, national symposium introducing the concept of state college and university involvement in regional stewardship and releasing the monograph and assessment tool developed in phase one. The symposium will be held at an educational institution noted for its engagement with its community and region. The third and final phase will build upon the symposium by guiding two to three state colleges/universities through a process of exploring opportunities and strategies for greater campus involvement in the governance, economic and social affairs of their host regions.
Staffing for the AASCU-ARS partnership will come from both organizations, with project activities guided by an advisory committee of nationally recognized experts in higher education and regional development. Advisors to the project will confer during the planning stages of each of the phases listed above.
For more information on Making Place Matter: Regional Stewardship and State Colleges and Universities, contact Travis Reindl, AASCU, by e-mail at or by telephone at , ext. 657.
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