Abstracts - 19.3 Public Purposes
Beyond a Campus: Adaptive Strategies for a Changing Environment
Don N. Smith, Wayne B. Beran, and Richard D. Phillips
In a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive higher-education environment, universities may grow or hold their own by taking degree programs and services to the students wherever, whenever, and however they need them-becoming more nearly a delivery system rather than a single location. Supporting and developing faculty is critical to success. Sound fiscal strategies and collaboration with other institutions can reduce risk, contain costs, and ensure quality.
The Public Purposes of Higher Education: What Does the Public Think?
Robert G. Bringle and William Plater
A telephone interview of 821 residents of a Midwestern state found endorsement for higher education's role in career preparation, future leaders, and citizens. In addition, almost 80 percent of these residents supported community service as part of the curriculum (i.e., service learning). This suggests that higher education can improve the understanding of the general public for how service learning contributes to these three objectives which, in turn, can build greater support for civic engagement and community-based learning.
Recruiting Place-Bound Students: The Influence of Location on the College Choice of High School Seniors
Darryl B. Holloman and Amanda L. Nolen
Using a 3x3 MANOVA (SES and Metropolitan Status), this study examines the influence of socio- economic status (SES) in combination with Metropolitan Status (urban, suburban, and rural) on the college selection process of high school seniors. This study finds that whereas high school students value cost, institutional quality, institutional characteristics and college culture, these values vary by the interaction between SES and Metropolitan Status.
Partnerships to Recruit and Prepare Bilingual Teachers
Julie Esparza Brown, Shawn Smallman, and Randy Hitzs
To address the need for teachers with the skills to effectively teach English Language Learner (ELL) students, Portland State University (PSU) collaborated with three Portland area community colleges and 17 school districts to develop a program to recruit and prepare bilingual/bicultural teachers. This nine-year-old program provides a career ladder for education paraprofessionals. Candidates begin their work at the community colleges or at the upper division or graduate levels at PSU depending upon their backgrounds. This article describes the program, assessment of the program, and lessons learned. To date, over 190 candidates have completed the program and 99 percent have been employed in partner school districts. Candidates, university faculty, and school district leaders express great satisfaction with the program, but they offer several suggestions for program refinement.
Paradigm Shift: Equipping Suburban Teacher Candidates for Urban Challenges-A Focus on the Issue of Diversity in the Classroom
Michael O. Afolayan; Caroline R. Pryor; William J. Gallagher David L. Deweese; & Randall E. Smith
This article advocates a shift from the traditional pedagogy of a sometimes confused multicultural/diversity education to a more progressive one that gives due attention and credence to the subject of diversity in teacher training. It also locates its definition of diversity within a broad and progressive paradigm. Using their experiences in a teacher training program, the authors argue that a university that prepares teacher candidates for urban or suburban practices must equip them with adequate knowledge on issues relevant to diversity. The paper concludes with recommendations for the field.
Intellectual Entrepreneurship as a Platform for Transforming Higher Education
Gary D. Beckman and Richard A. Cherwitz
The thesis of this article is that "Intellectual Entrepreneurship (IE)" provides an intellectually authentic philosophical foundation capable of sustaining cross-campus entrepreneurship education. Drawing upon initiatives begun at The University of Texas at Austin, we document how IE educates "citizen-scholars." Specifically, IE leverages the knowledge assets contained within the university's walls, empowering faculty and students to become agents of change-both on campus and in their communities. Anchored to the rich humanist traditions of the university, IE harnesses the core philosophy of western education to transform the master-apprentice-entitlement paradigm into one of discovery, ownership, accountability, collaboration and action.
Research on the Impact of HBCUs on African American Communities
Ralph Gallo and Ronnie Davis
The authors conducted a formal research study to investigate the perceptions of faculty, staff, and community residents regarding town-gown relationships and the sustainability of African American communities as related to educational benefits, home ownership, employment and job training, earning potential, and graduation rates.
Strengthening Community Partnerships through an Assessment of Residents' Issues and Priorities
Olurominiyi O. Ibitayo
Effective university-community relationships require input from community residents. This study, conducted as part of Texas Southern University's outreach program, solicits the viewpoints of the residents of Acres Homes on several issues including the community's needs and priorities. The findings show that the respondents consider job training, youth mentoring and after-school programs, employment opportunities, and demolition of vacant/abandoned buildings as "high priority" issues. The study offers suggestions for follow-up actions by metropolitan universities that seek to be responsive to their communities.
