Over 100 colleges and universities nationwide were nominated but a national honor has been bestowed upon Marquette University and four other universities across the nation for their commitment to civic engagement and addressing issues of public interest.
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service reports:
Marquette University has been selected to receive the 2016 Higher Education Civic Engagement Award for the Near West Side Partners initiative and several other partnerships that address issues of public concern.
Marquette is just one of five universities and colleges nationwide to receive the honor among more than 100 nominations. The award is being presented by The Washington Center, an independent, nonprofit organization that provides students opportunities to work and learn in Washington, D.C., for academic credit.
“As a Catholic and Jesuit Institution, an important aspect of our mission is to make a significant impact in our community,” Marquette President Michael R. Lovell said. “This award signifies that we are making strides toward fulfilling that mission.”
Among the initiatives is Near West Side Partners, a nonprofit organization founded in 2014 by Marquette and four other anchor institutions — Aurora Health Care, Harley-Davidson, MillerCoors and Potawatomi Business Development Corp. — to revitalize and sustain Milwaukee’s Near West Side as a thriving residential and business corridor.
Lovell and then-Harley president and CEO Keith Wandell met to discuss a recent neighborhood crisis, and concluded they needed to involve the other longstanding anchor businesses. Lovell then convened senior leadership from more than 30 organizations in the Near West Side to develop a community partnership that has benchmarked best practices locally and nationally, visiting and studying neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Chicago, Cleveland and Milwaukee. Based upon the research, the initiative has tailored approaches and practices to affect change that is systemic and sustainable in the community.
Nearly 25 departments at Marquette are committed to the effort, including trustee and working team leadership, faculty research, and student interns and volunteers. In addition, a project administered by a Marquette committee, Promoting Assets and Reducing Crime, works directly with the initiative to address safety issues, neighborhood identity and branding, housing, and commercial corridor development.
For more, visit Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.
