Professional Development Brown Bag Series

Northwestern in the Neighborhood: The Role of the University in Evanston 

Lucile Krasnow, NU Special Assistant for Community Relations
Jeff Coney, NU Director of Economics Development, Innovation and New Ventures Office
Coleen Burrus, NU Director of Corporate Relations and City of Evanston 9th Ward Alderman

The three panelists talked about the relationship between NU and the City of Evanston; how NU contributes to Evanston, both financially and otherwise; and several ongoing collaborations between both parties. 

Lucile Krasnow described the natural tensions between most colleges/universities and their home communities.  Not-for-profit educational institutions like NU are exempt from paying the property taxes that municipalities use to fund services such as road repair, sewers, libraries, police protection, and many more.  While NU doesn’t pay property taxes, it contributes about $6 million every year in various fees  and taxes,  pays for water usage, gas taxes, plows its own streets and sidewalks, and supplies its own police force. Through a mutual police agreement with the city of Evanston, University Police assist Evanston Police in a variety of ways.  In addition, NU provides approximately $250,000 to local not-for-profit social services and arts organizations on an annual basis.  Also, various NU departments spend about $15 million purchasing local goods and services.

Another source of tension over the years has been land use.  While Northwestern was granted by the state of Illinois up to 2,000 acres in its original charter, it currently occupies only about 240 acres.  We share this densely-populated space with Evanston residences and commercial organizations, and, of course, we are bound on the east by beautiful Lake Michigan.

Jeff Coney told us about Northwestern’s contributions to economic development in Evanston.  The mission of his office is to “inspire and nurture a culture of innovation, bridging Northwestern research with its practical use for public benefit.”  A main component of this is working on tech-based economic development, innovation and research. 

Coleen Burrus, who works both sides of the “fence” (NU employee; Evanston official), feels that the past two years have brought a significant improvement in the town-gown relationship and the level of mutual cooperation and collaboration.  She feels both parties benefit immeasurably from each other. She also encouraged NU staff to learn more about the city so we can better understand the larger environment in which we work.

The three panelists referred to several ongoing collaborations and partnerships including:

• A scholarship program for financially-eligible Evanston Township High School students who are accepted at NU
• A developing mentoring program between Evanston schools and NU students
• A new lighting study centered on safety that NU is financing
• Thousands of hours of volunteer services provided by NU students, faculty, and staff
• A new internship program with Evanston aldermen
• Hosting a breakfast for north shore businesses at NU
• Encouraging NU students to complete their census forms.  Northwestern staff worked hard to be sure that a maximum number of students filled out the census.  As the city of Evanston receives $92 per year for every resident over the next ten years, this will bring to the city of Evanston a total of more than $40 million. 

All three agreed that this Northwestern and Evanston are working together on solid ground and expect more and more collaboration and cooperation.

For more information you are encouraged to visit the following websites:

• Northwestern Office of Community Relations
• Northwestern University’s Economic Impact on Evanston, Illinois (2005)

• Connecting with the Economy - Northwestern University's Roles in the Regional Economy
• Northwestern University Innovation and New Ventures Office
• City of Evanston

Northwestern in the Neighborhood: The Role of the University in Chicago
Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities (ARCC): Building Infrastructure for Northwestern Community-Academic Partnerships

Jen Kauper-Brown, Director, Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities (ARCC), Gina Curry and Josefina Serrato, Community-Campus Coordinators, ARCC

ARCC’s mission is growing equitable and collaborative partnerships between  Chicago area communities and Northwestern University for research that leads to measurable improvements in community health. Those in attendance learned about how ARCC supports community-engaged research through seed grants, capacity-building workshops and one-on-one technical assistance, partnership facilitation, monthly information and resource updates, advocacy for supportive institutional policies, and other activities. ARCC is a program of the Community-Engaged Research Center, Northwestern University Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute.

Northwestern in the Neighborhood-
Coming Soon to a Block Near You:  Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago 

Nahlah Daddino, Director of Community Relations, Children's Memorial Hospital 
Mary Kate Daly, Director of New Hospital Communication, Children's Memorial Hospital
Bruce K. Komiske, Chief, New Hospital Design and Construction, Children's Memorial Hospital

Children’s Memorial Hospital has been located in the neighborhood of Lincoln Park since its beginning in 1882. In June 2012, the hospital will move into its brand new building on Northwestern’s downtown campus and become Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Named in recognition of philanthropist Ann Lurie’s $100 million gift, the new facility will be 23 stories high, making it the tallest children’s hospital in the world. All patient rooms will be private, operating rooms will be larger, and more space will be available to enhance research opportunities and accommodate advanced technology.  Lurie Children’s was designed with significant input from staff, patients and families; and will include important amenities, such as sleeping rooms, in-room showers, shared kitchen, respite spaces and a 5,000 square foot healing Crown Sky Garden.

After considering over 30 locations in the Chicagoland area, the spot on NU’s campus was chosen for its proximity to the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Pediatric specialists, researchers and residents at Feinberg will be able to bring their lab and clinical work closer together and the hospitals will be able to align their efforts more effectively.

Years of preparation have been devoted to the new facility. Throughout the process, Children’s Memorial has communicated with local businesses and organizations about their strategy and progress. Several Chicago cultural institutions, such as the Adler Planetarium and Lincoln Park Zoo, have offered their support and will be featured in artistic touches throughout the new building. Children’s Memorial serves patients from around the country and the world, and has continually been a leader in pediatric care. With the new location and innovative design and features, Lurie Children’s will surely continue and improve upon these operations.

Northwestern in the Neighborhood:  Civic Engagement Initiatives at Northwestern

Rob Donohue, Associate Director of the Center for Civic Engagement

Rob Donahue spoke to AHEAD@NU about how Northwestern students, faculty, and staff are engaging in the local and global community and about the Center’s role in the engagement.

Donahue started out by defining “civic engagement”- which can mean very different things to different people- as the overlap between learning and community engagement. Both learning and engagement must be present, and the focus is on education. Civic engagement has the potential to provide a social impact in any discipline and activates and enhances learning through real-world application.

Northwestern has a competitive advantage when it comes to providing opportunities for civic engagement because it is close to an urban center and has many faculty members who already study community issues as part of their research. The Center for Civic Engagement facilitates some relationships between faculty or students and the community, but there are many others taking place in schools or units. The Center tries to keep abreast of the different programs and support them as it can. It strives to be integrated with programs and schools, rather than becoming another silo on campus.

Donahue gave several examples of successful community partnerships that enable civic engagement at Northwestern. One example is the Design for America program where McCormick School of Engineering students tackle existing needs in the community and design creative solutions. They have won patents and grant awards for their ideas and designs. In this case, students learn from their hands-on experience and the community benefits from their innovative design products. This example illustrates one of the tenets of successful civic engagement: that the community benefit as much as the students. This model goes beyond viewing the community as a “laboratory” and instead treats members of the community as true partners. Many other examples exist of partnerships between Northwestern students and/or faculty and community partners.

The Center for Civic Engagement continues to promote a culture of engaged learning and social responsibility through the programs it facilitates and supports. To learn more, please visit: www.engage.northwestern.edu.

Special Topics in Higher Education Series

We are currently working on scheduling future special topics events, please check back for new updates. If you'd like to recommend a topic or speaker, please contact us at AHEAD@northwestern.edu

If you have an event idea please e-mail us at ahead@northwestern.edu