Anchor Institutions

Netter Center 20th Anniversary

More than 500 people from over 70 universities and over two-dozen countries gathered at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania to discuss ways to better use university resources to build community wealth in neighborhoods and promote partnerships with public schools. Setting the tone of the conference, Ira Harkavy, Founder and Director of the Netter Center, opened by arguing that effective partnerships not only advance learning, but also strengthen democracy and improve the quality of life in cities around the world.

Unlocking Community Development: The Anchor Key

Submitted by sarah on January 2nd, 2013

Leveraging Anchor Institution Resources for Community Benefit

Crossposted from Rooflines

Anchor institutions—a term used to describe public and nonprofit hospitals and universities—are today widely recognized for their role in community economic development. But they have the potential to do a lot more.

As Living Cities President Ben Hecht noted in a blog post this past January, “Today, the largest economic force in a huge number of America’s 100 largest cities is a university or hospital.” Yet, Hecht added: “Despite this reality, few, if any, regional economic development strategies are built around these stable and rooted ‘anchor’ institutions.”

Building Community Wealth in Cleveland

Steve Dubb

Researchers Propose Federal Strategy to Engage "Eds"

Submitted by dave on October 16th, 2012

Five recommendations to encourage universities and colleges to adopt an anchor institution mission

Earlier this month, Ira Harkavy and Rita Axelroth Hodges, of the Netter Center of Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania, released a Progressive Policy Institute paper calling for one type of anchor institution - universities and colleges - to contribute more to the public good.

Leveraging Anchor Institutions for Local Job Creation and Wealth Building

Ted Howard and Steve Dubb

Co-published by two research centers of the University of California, Berkeley, this paper from the Democracy Collaborative explores the impact of anchor institutions on wealth building and job creation in low-income communities.

Leveraging Anchor Institutions for Local Job Creation and Wealth Building

Steve Dubb and Ted Howard

Jobs Idea #14: Anchor Institutions

Steve Dubb and Ted Howard

The Road Half Traveled: University Engagement at a Crossroads

Rita Axelroth Hodges and Steve Dubb

Authored by Rita Axelroth Hodges and Steve Dubb as part of Michigan State University Press' series on Transformations in Higher Education, the book features ten in-depth cases and examines how universities, by pursuing an anchor institution mission to improve surrounding communities in cooperation with community partners, can positively impact the welfare of low-income residents.

The Road Half-Traveled: University Engagement at a Crossroads

Rita Axelroth and Steve Dubb

New Approaches Are Needed to Curb Poverty

Gar Alperovitz, Steve Dubb and Ted Howard

The Chronicle of Philanthropy, volume 20, number 3

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Anchor Institutions

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