US: Town and gown working together

The university's history of being an ivory tower removed from the hurly-burly of the city has certainly changed over the years, as many universities play increasingly important roles in the economic recovery of post-industrial cities. Last week, the symbiotic relationship hoped for by universities and their urban communities was the topic of discussion at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' 1,964th meeting in New York City.

Four higher education leaders evaluated the important role universities play in fostering economic, academic and social growth in their communities. But before they took the floor, Leslie Berlowitz, President of the 230-year old Academy, compared late 18th century and early 21st century academe, emphasising the shared, ultimate goal "to educate all citizens to be effective participants in a civil, democratic society".

The panellists were New York University (NYU) President John Sexton, American Association of Universities President Robert Berdahl, Carnegie Mellon University President Jared Cohon and Brown University President Ruth Simmons.

Sexton considered how FIRE (finance, insurance and real estate) built American cities in the 20th century. In the context of NYU founder Albert Gallatin's intention to establish a new kind of university "in and of the city", he underlined next the imperative to support ICE (intellect, culture and education) in helping to make cities even greater in the 21st century.

Symbiosis, however, is not something that could initially characterise the relationship between cities and higher education institutions. Indeed, it is notable that most American universities were originally envisioned as something akin to ivory towers, explained Berdahl.

Following the Oxbridge paradigm, these institutions were originally and deliberately remote, removed from the perfidious and distracting temptations of civic centres. This kind of attitude was much in keeping, he added, with the general "antipathy for cities" enjoined by US founding fathers, including third president Thomas Jefferson.

Exploring the actual relationship between cities and universities, both Cohon and Simmons described the challenges faced and opportunities embraced by their respective institutions, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and Brown University in Providence, over the past decade.

Recognising the strides Pittsburgh has made since 1982 when the steel industry collapsed, Cohon described the real ways Carnegie Mellon had impacted on the community. Since his own tenure as president began in 1997, these efforts had included economic development as a strategic priority for the university. In so doing, not only had the private university's status improved but Pittsburgh's economic outlook had been enriched.

Chief among these initiatives has been the technology transfer policy adopted by the university known as 'Five-Percent and Go in Peace', allowing entrepreneurial faculty freer rein in the marketing of their innovations. For this reason, the university now hosts upwards of 15 start-up companies per year, the second highest rate associated with a research institution in the US.

And, yet, in spite of these efforts, the relationship has become increasingly fraught. Worst have been persistent and vociferous complaints by cash-strapped state legislatures about the tax-exempt status enjoyed by many American higher education institutions. This is something Pittsburgh knows well.

Simmons described similar challenges faced by Brown University within its host community, but also emphasised that the institution is the sixth largest private employer in the state of Rhode Island and the second largest in Providence.

Moreover, Brown University has attempted to enhance the well-being of the population through a number of initiatives, principally seeking to expand knowledge-based economies. Among these, new centres for research and innovation have been developed in abandoned districts of downtown Providence.

Among the closing remarks, Sexton reiterated that, ultimately, it is a question of balancing institutional self-interest with civic responsibility "in such a way as to preserve the ecosystem in which we all live."