The Value of Community: Stakeholder Perspectives at an Urban-Serving Research University

• In Event: Transforming Community and Campus Environments Toward Equity

Abstract

Urban-Serving Research Universities (USRUs) address issues of educational access, community support, and development within urban areas, but internal and external pressures complicate USRUs’ place-based mission. This mixed-methods study used stakeholder and paradox theories to examine how stakeholder perspectives engaged through a strategic planning process identified opportunities and tensions for prioritizing the community¬-minded value at a USRU. While stakeholder theory emphasized the importance of valuing the interests of all institutional stakeholders, paradox theory allowed divergent interests to coexist, revealing potential pathways for innovative decision-making. Engaging stakeholder perspectives may help USRUs to make more equitable decisions that reflect the diverse and sometimes conflicting interests of internal and external community stakeholders, including local residents.

Authors

• Catherine Pressimone Beckowski, Temple University

• Jodi Levine Laufgraben, Temple University