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About a year and a half ago, AITF developed a policy brief calling for greater support for the role of anchor institutions in strengthening their communities given the breadth of devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief is still highly relevant given that the health and economic challenges experienced by low income and BIPOC populations are far from resolved. The pandemic only exacerbated existing inequities – adversity that is experienced locally in homes, neighborhoods, towns, and cities. As enduring local organizations, anchor institutions are uniquely positioned to engage in democratic collaboration with local partners across sectors to collectively solve problems.
In the many months since we developed our policy brief, numerous other challenges have become increasingly prominent. Turbulence and warfare across the globe remind us of the fragility of democracy in our times. While we have witnessed economic improvements since the pandemic in some respects, inflation and justifiable fears of recession on the horizon almost nullify slight economic gains for the most vulnerable populations. Here in the U.S., the reality of violence and the omnipresence of guns, direct policy challenges to advances in racial equity and justice, and staggering threats to reproductive rights characterize recent concerns.
What does all of this mean for anchor institutions? As with the conditions caused by the pandemic, which is still with us, the various pressing matters weighing on our minds are experienced in place and disproportionately impacting the same populations that have been historically underserved. Anchor institutions, situated interdependently in their geographical surroundings, have both a vested interest in local conditions and a responsibility to contributing to transforming their communities. They should also be, as is increasingly discussed in AITF subgroups, willing to transform themselves, and be guided by the wisdom of community-based constituents.
The events of our times force reflection at every level. For AITF, it is always useful to review our values – a commitment to place, collaboration, democracy and democratic practice, and social justice and equity (with particular consideration for racial justice and racial equity). Humbly, these values seem as important now as at any point since AITF’s founding in 2009. These values were on full display at the Global Forum on Higher Education Leadership for Democracy, Sustainability, and Social Justice at Dublin City University in Ireland earlier this month. AITF members were well represented at this event; and AITF's leadership, including Founding Chair, Ira Harkavy, Advisory Council Co-Chair, Nancy Cantor, and Director, David Maurrasse played important organizing and speaking roles in this significant conference.
Our values provide a frame for the many concrete AITF activities underway, as well as the important ongoing work of AITF members. Thank you, AITF members, for your continued efforts. We know that this work is complex and not adequately supported; but the emerging multi-anchor institution partnerships, intentional local hiring and purchasing strategies, creative pandemic responses, comprehensive local strategies with attention to social determinants of health, and many other forms of local engagement among anchor institutions remind us of the foundation from which we can collectively build.
AITF will continue to be an action-oriented learning community that can provide learning and encouragement toward an even stronger values-based proactive future for anchor institutions and their partners. Speaking of the future, thanks to those of you who nominated fellows for and applied to the Anchor Fellows Program. We look forward to announcing our new cohort of fellows in the coming weeks.
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