CITA Summer Project 2004

This year, we discussed ways to identify resources that could contribute to our eight signature outreach areas - making Lowell a math mecca, meeting the needs of elders, improving environmental health, the immigrant experience, improving prospects for youth, community revitalization, crime and public safety, and the creative economy. We focused on UML staff, what are they already doing in these areas as a part of their jobs and if there is anything that they would like to do to link their ongoing work with that of the community.

There are several hundred UML staff members who are the backbone of the university. They include police officers, administrative assistants, writing support personnel, diversity experts, environmental specialists, maintenance specialists, librarians, researchers, admissions specialists, dorm administrators, communication specialists and many others. Many could be an important part of mobilizing and leading partnerships.

We shared the information generated thus far on the signature outreach areas, asking staff what they are already doing in these areas and asking what they see as innovations needed to succeed as a community-university partnership.

The project reported the gathered information in the form of written articles, audio clips and video clips that could be widely used in the community and university to capture a sense of the current activities and of the available partnership resources.