Anchor Partnerships Database

The unique role of multi-institutional cross sector anchor partnerships continues to be an evolving priority for AITF. The Anchor Partnerships Subgroup, which launched last year, continues to be a forum for informative learning exchange in a community of practice among representatives from eight different anchor partnerships /collaboratives. Coupled with the development of this Subgroup has been ongoing research over the last few years regarding the existence of these particular forms of collaboration. 

While we have witnessed the proliferation of these efforts in AITF’s experiences, we thought it would be important to strengthen our knowledge and understanding. Consequently, AITF has been working to develop the Anchor Partnership Database, an unprecedented source of information on collaborations among anchor institutions in localities around the world. The tool describes the types of anchor institutions involved and core programming among other characteristics of each partnership. The format of this searchable database allows for users to filter results along desired characteristics. 

We are excited to announce that we are close to going live with this database. As a next step in the process, we are inviting AITF members to take part in a Beta launch. If interested, please send a message to marga@margainc.com for an exclusive link to the tool.

Leadership Series Volume II

Another research project underway is the second publication in AITF’s series on leadership. We expect to release this resource at the end of year. This edition will include brief profiles of how chief executives of anchor institutions are grappling with priority issues facing anchor institutions such as leadership transitions among partners, politics, and relationships with local elected officials. We intend to include a wide variety of anchor leaders among our profiles. Note that we are seeking participants beyond those already represented in our Subgroups. Please reply to this email with any expressions of interest of suggested leaders to profile.

HUD + Higher Ed Engagement Network Briefing: Increasing Digital Equity

Today, access to the internet is more important than ever. However, broadband can be hard to access, especially for historically marginalized communities. HUD is partnering with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promote the Affordable Connectivity Program to assist households who are struggling to afford internet access.

Briefings are curated by the HUD + Higher Ed Engagement Think Tank, a group of strategic leaders with broad experience across higher education and public policy. Members of the HUD + Higher Ed Engagement Network will also be invited to leverage training, technical assistance, and resources from experts at HUD, Campus Compact, the Anchor Institutions Task Force (AITF), the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU), the University Economic Development Association (UEDA) & other partners.



SUBSCRIBE

Job Opportunities at Campus Compact

All of these positions are full-time remote roles. Several of them are connected to new programs Campus Compact is launching—it's an exciting time to join the team. 

The Student Engagement Manager will be a key leader in developing the next evolution of direct-student programming for Campus Compact and our network, with the goal of building a student-led sustainable infrastructure for robust student engagement across institutions. You can read more about our expanding student work here. 

The AmeriCorps VISTA Outreach & Recruitment Coordinator will be instrumental in establishing partnerships, relationships, and practices to expand the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA program’s national footprint and create sustainable pipelines for potential AmeriCorps members.  

The Event and Operations Specialist will be responsible for executing high-impact virtual and in-person events to deliver on Campus Compact’s mission and support member campuses. Join our team now and help plan Compact24! 

The College Renaissance Corps (CRCorps) Houston Coordinator will support the design and implementation planning process of the CRCorps program in partnership with Houston Community College (HCC), with the goal of increasing economic mobility, enrollment, and work-based learning experiences for Community College students. 

The Campus Climate Action Corps Program Manager will be responsible for the oversight and support of a team of 108 Campus Climate Action Corps AmeriCorps members—including recruitment and training, host site development and support, monitoring, and reporting, and general operations.  

A Rural Town, a Fleeing Flagship, and A Faltering Faith in Higher Ed - from Open Campus

May 25 - When West Virginia University took the local campus out of Montgomery five years ago, it took more from the rural town than just a college. Suddenly, 1,500 students were gone. More than 100 staff and faculty moved out. The bar and the car dealership closed. The grocery store, too. And it was only going to get worse, locals knew. The move threatened the town’s livelihood, the city’s mayor, Greg Ingram, says, and reinforced the feeling that rural places like Montgomery were constantly being stripped of their resources — and their dignity.

Anchor Collaborative Benefits Businesses - from BusinessWest.com

May 24 - The Western Massachusetts Anchor Collaborative (WMAC), founded by the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council (EDC) in partnership with Baystate Health, provides comprehensive, systemic, and locally led solutions to regional women- and minority- owned businesses and workforce challenges. The WMAC was initiated to propel hiring and career pathways for BIPOC and marginalized populations.

Universities Are Responsible for the Well-being of the Communities in Which They Exist - from Rhodes University

May 15 - On 09 May 2023, the Rhodes University Community Engagement division launched its Community Engagement (CE) Learning Symposium, which included speakers from all over the globe. This was the first of three days of discussions and workshops centered around highlighting, as per the official website, the "developmental and transformative roles of universities" in incorporating CE in their institutions to serve "as a platform to build community-university relationships for the mutual benefit of all those involved in CE, such as students, communities and academics".

Berks Alliance: Collaboration is Key to Strengthening Communities - from Lehigh Valley Business

May 12 - Anchor institutions can provide communities with solutions to economic and social problems when they work together with government and business leaders. So said the Berks Alliance, which held a community forum to look at how anchor institutions make an impact on the Berks County economy.

'Chronically underfunded and overlooked': Brooklyn Legislators Call on NY Governor to Fund Safety Net Hospitals - from BKReader

April 28 - Brooklyn legislators are voicing support for the Health Equity Stabilization and Transformation Act which would secure federal funding for safety net hospitals operating as anchor institutions in New York communities. The New York Safety Net Hospital Coalition was formed in response to the urgent need to structurally reform the outdated Medicaid reimbursement rates for safety net hospitals in New York.

One of America's Oldest Hospitals Lay Abandoned. Then a University Stepped In. - from the Chronicle of Higher Education

April 28 - Charity Hospital in downtown New Orleans has been closed since Hurricane Katrina. Tulane University is spending $135 million on the hospital building, where it plans to move its School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine by the end of 2026. Approximately 600 researchers and research staff from the medical and public-health schools will also move into the overhauled building. Tulane will serve as an “anchor tenant,” taking up about a third of the former hospital. 

Governors Island to Be Site of $700 Million Climate Campus - from New York Times

April 24 - Stony Brook University is the anchor institution leading the establishment of a new international climate center situated on Governors Island with financial backing from the Simons Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The New York Climate Exchange, first of its kind, is for developing and deploying dynamic solutions to our global climate crisis, while also acting as a hub for New Yorkers to benefit from the rapidly evolving green economy.