Town–gown relationships: Exploring university–community engagement from the perspective of community members

An increasing number of colleges and universities have developed strategies for community engagement. The engagement, however, has been one-sided in that colleges and universities send students, faculty, and staff members out into the community. The current investigation sought to further broaden the definition of community engagement by exploring the benefits that can be accrued by a university when community members are encouraged to explore the cultural, intellectual, athletic, and artistic benefits that are provided in college and university campuses.     

A Subregional Analysis of Universities’ Contribution to Economic and Innovation Performance

In recent years several regions have created development strategies to strengthen the regional economic and innovation contribution of universities. Still, it is not at all obvious whether universities’ significant regional contribution is a rule or rather an exception, especially in transition and less developed areas. Present paper addresses three crucial fields that seem to be problematic in the literature. First, we analyze universities’ regional contribution in a transition economy, namely in Hungary. Second we attempt to capture territorial innovation performance by applying an innovation system based approach. Third, we carry out a nationwide analysis on a subregional level. We conclude that regional contributions of Hungarian higher education institutions are modest, way too forceless to catalyze the local economy.     

An evaluation of college online alcohol-policy information

Excessive and underage drinking by US college and university students continues to be a significant problem. Curtailing the misuse of alcohol on college campuses is an important goal of college and university administrators because of the many negative consequences resulting from alcohol misuse. As part of their prevention programs, US colleges and universities are required by law to make information about their alcohol policies available to students. Often the source of this information is the school's Web site. The authors evaluated the alcohol-policy information that is available on the Web sites of the 52 top national universities listed in the 2002 rankings of US News and World Report. In general, they found that the information was difficult to find, was located in many areas of the Web site, and did not provide complete information about the school's alcohol policy.     

Rural and Regional Developments in Social Work Higher Education

Abstract

Social work education has traditionally been taught in urban universities in on-campus programs. In the present paper, the author outlines the nature of social work education at Charles Sturt University, a regional Australian university. The author argues that social work education in a rural/regional university is shaped by rural social contextual issues, as well as by changes in the higher education sector. The author notes that social work education fills a significant gap in that it attracts students who are unable to access urban campuses, adds value to rural service delivery, supports rural/regional research, and highlights issues of rural disadvantage. Despite this, the paper argues that rural disadvantage and higher education sector pressures place the delivery of social work education shaped around and responsive to rural social justice issues in regional universities in jeopardy.     

Gateway cities for transnational higher education? Doha,Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah as regional amplifiers in networks of the ‘global knowledge-based economy’

This paper investigates how the developmental ambitions of governments to attract university offshore campuses to Doha, Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah and these universities’ internationalization strategies affect the three cities’ positionalities. It links interdisciplinary literature on globally uneven geographies of higher education to geographical debates on the intermediating role of cities in regional and global economies. The paper conceptualizes the three cities as a triadic ensemble of gateways for transnational higher education (TNE), thereby contributing to further theorization of gateway cities. The paper shows that the three cities fulfil two crucial gateway functions. First, they connect internationalizing universities with particular student segments from their regional hinterlands seeking access to TNE. Second, they thereby amplify and disperse hegemonic regimes of the globalising knowledge-based economy in their regional hinterlands. While all three cities share similar functions and rationales, they also have distinct positionalities rooted in different strategies of the respective governments.     

Implementation and evaluation of an Exercise is Medicine™ on campus week

Exercise is Medicine™ (EiM) on campus targets physical activity (PA) participation on college campuses. Limited research has addressed how PA initiatives can be operationalized on college campuses.PurposeTo describe the implementation of EiM on a large U.S. university campus and present preliminary outcomes on participation and awareness.MethodsEiM week was implemented on a large university campus. Exercise stations were set-up at campus locations to encourage brief bouts of PA and educate about the benefits of PA. Evaluation included observations of participation, surveys, and intercept surveys to assess awareness and reach.ResultsEiM week was implemented during Fall 2013. Exercise stations elicited 1771 exercise bouts from participants. Surveys indicated widespread reach across the university (13 of 17 colleges); most students (50.8%) became aware of the EiM campaign by passing by the exercise stations. Campus intercept surveys 1-week post-event indicated 54% students had heard about EiM, of which 39% had heard/seen the event through messages encouraging exercise.ConclusionThe current study was successful in engaging a large, diverse population on a college campus. Lessons learned from the development, implementation, and evaluation of EiM on campus activities provide insight for university campuses looking to target student health and PA participation.     

Evaluating the engagement of universities in capacity building for sustainable development in local communities

Universities have the potential to play a leading role in enabling communities to develop more sustainable ways of living and working however, sustainable communities may only emerge with facilitation, community learning and continual efforts to build their capacities. Elements of programme planning and evaluation on the one hand, and capacity building on the other, are needed. The latter entails approaches and processes that may contribute to community empowerment; universities may either lead such approaches, or be key partners in an endeavour to empower communities to address the challenges posed by the need for sustainable development. Although capacity building and the promotion of sustainable development locally, are on the agenda for universities who take seriously regional engagement, very little is published that illustrates or describes the various forms of activities that take place. Further, there is a paucity of studies that have evaluated the work performed by universities in building capacity for sustainable development at the local level. This paper is an attempt to address this need, and entails an empirical study based on a sample of universities in the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal and Brazil. The paper examines the extent to which capacity building for sustainable development is being undertaken, suggests the forms that this might take and evaluates some of the benefits for local communities. The paper concludes by reinforcing that universities have a critical role to play in community development; that role has to prioritise the sustainability agenda.     

College Health: Biomedical and Beyond

Abstract

Excessive and underage drinking by US college and university students continues to be a significant problem. Curtailing the misuse of alcohol on college campuses is an important goal of college and university administrators because of the many negative consequences resulting from alcohol misuse. As part of their prevention programs, US colleges and universities are required by law to make information about their alcohol policies available to students. Often the source of this information is the school's Web site. The authors evaluated the alcohol-policy information that is available on the Web sites of the 52 top national universities listed in the 2002 rankings of US News and World Report. In general, they found that the information was difficult to find, was located in many areas of the Web site, and did not provide complete information about the school's alcohol policy.     

Institutional,Subcultural, and Individual Determinants of Same-Sex Sexual Contact Among College Women

While the collegiate hookup literature identifies the prevalence and conditions under which women engage in same-sex sexual behaviors, less is understood about the macro- and mesolevel features of universities predictive of women’s engagement in these behaviors. How do predictors of same-sex contact differ for women who report engagement in nongenital versus genital sexual acts? Using the Online College Social Life Survey (OCSLS), this study examined 5,069 women from 21 U.S. colleges and universities who reported at least one same-sex encounter in their lifetime to empirically evaluate how same-sex sexual histories are predicted by university structure and membership in student subcultures. Results find subcultural participation to have a regulative effect on what types of sexual behaviors women engaged in with other women. While Greek-affiliated women were significantly more likely to have engaged in solely nongenital sexual behavior, women in team-based athletics were more likely to report a genital sexual history with women. This study’s focus on women’s sexual behaviors as opposed to sexual identity affirms the influence of institutional contexts, subcultural dynamics, and their variability across U.S. campuses in producing the conditions and opportunities for varied forms of sexual interactions among college women.     

Condom sales at public universities in California: implications for campus AIDS prevention

Public health officials have called for increased use of condoms to protect Americans from sexually acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. To investigate the availability of condoms for sale on college campuses, we asked student union directors and bookstore managers from all 28 public universities in California, with a combined enrollment of half a million students, to complete a detailed questionnaire in August and September 1987. Two thirds of the campuses reported having condoms for sale in either their bookstores or convenience stores; one third said condoms were available in the men's and women's restrooms in their student unions. On most campuses, sales were instituted in the past year in response to the AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) epidemic. However, very few campuses provided AIDS education at the point of sale, and condoms were not easily available outside of store hours. Respondents felt that the most important obstacles to increasing the distribution of condoms on campus included concern about presenting a negative image of the university and the low priority assigned to this issue by the university administration and others on campus. This study suggests that although condom availability has improved in the past year, the opportunity exists at most California public universities to increase the distribution of condoms and improve associated AIDS-related health education efforts.     

面向地区产业的电子信息类专业实践基地建设方式

校外实践基地是高等学校校内实验教学示范中心的必要补充,是培养电子信息类专业学生实践能力、创造能力和创新精神的重要场所,是学生了解企业走向社会的重要途径。结合河北省区域经济建设中电子信息产业的＂十二五＂规划,探索了省属高校建设校外实践基地的新模式,提出将实践基地建立在各地区的产业基地与产业园区之中,结合学生家庭住址,利用假期就近选择实践基地进行实习,从实践内容、实践方式、师资队伍等各个方面完善实践基地,并总结了省属高校电子信息类专业培养创新人才的实验实践教学经验。     

Social construction of public relations knowledge by academic institutions worldwide: A bibliometric network analysis

This VOSviewer-enabled bibliometric study examines scientific knowledge construction in public relations research since 1955. A co-citation analysis indicates that while sustaining its cross-disciplinary nature, public relations increasingly relies on scholarship generated within its own discipline, with Public Relations Review, Journal of Public Relations Research and Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly most cited academic sources. A citation analysis of author affiliations revealed a number of findings, including universities with the highest count of publications, university pairs that tend to cite each other, as well as regional university groups and large clusters within a broader, citation-based network. Among the 108 most productive academic institutions from four continents included into the study, U.S.-based universities produced the highest number of publications in nine peer-reviewed journals. Cross-referencing citation relationships among university clusters in different world regions illustrates an ongoing pattern of globalized construction of public relations knowledge.     

Geographically-related outcomes of U.S. funding for small business research and development: Results of the research grant programs of a component of the National Institutes of Health

This article examines the geographic distribution of funding for the U.S. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). Despite a significant investment in SBIR/STTR and an interest in increasing geographic diversity in the institute’s research portfolio, there has not been an assessment of the distribution of NIGMS’s SBIR/STTR funding, outcomes associated with that investment, and relationships between the two. The geographic distribution of NIGMS’ SBIR/STTR funding was highly concentrated in a small number of states, with a high correlation between each state’s funding and its number of small scientific research and development businesses. Affiliation with a major research university was correlated with several measures of innovation and firm success. Our findings are consistent with earlier research showing that economic activity in research and development and research output tend to cluster in geographic regions where knowledge can be generated and shared more efficiently. These findings lend support to an investment strategy for small business research and development that creates networks between major research universities and small businesses.     

Carrières et contradictions en sciences de la vie : réponses du corps académique aux transformations de la connaissance et de ses utilisations

Drawing on interviews with more than 80 scientists on two university campuses, we create a typology that offers insights into how transformations in the nature and locus of life science innovation influence academic careers and work practices. Our analyses suggest that a strong outcome of increased academic concern with research commercialization is the appearance of new fault lines among faculty, between faculty and students, and even between scientists' interests and those of their institutions. We argue that life science commercialization is driven by a mix of new funding opportunities, changing institutional mandates for universities, and novel research technologies that bring basic research and product development into much closer contact. The rise of patenting and commercially motivated technology transfer on U.S. campuses is altering faculty work practices and relationships, while transforming the criteria by which success is determined and rewards are allocated. Through close analysis of interviews with four researchers who typify a range of academic responses to commercialism, we demonstrate emerging patterns of conflict and agreement in faculty responses to commercial opportunities in the life sciences.     

Inquiry-based learning: A socially just approach to higher education

Higher education’s potential to transform social and economic status and improve society, underlies increasing demands to improve access. But simply increasing access is not sufficient—it is important to ask whether our prevailing pedagogical approaches facilitate an effective and socially just higher education system. In other words, are traditional pedagogical approaches used in universities today truly accessible to the broader student population entering university? The current paper argues that the majority of pedagogies remain rooted in traditional approaches that favor those who benefit from continuous education from primary through to tertiary education. Such approaches rely heavily on incremental credentialism and are neither truly accessible nor socially just. Most introductory courses in universities require prior knowledge and “expect” students to be enculturated into a particular type of learning: as such, students with different levels of preparation, who come from different backgrounds, may be excluded from full participation. In addition, the rising costs of tuition fees and textbooks, and access to technology create inequities that reinforce socially-based discrimination higher education. The paper reports on the impact of implementing a specifically designed course, using closed-loop, reiterative problem-based learning, to create learning paradigms that focus on a more socially just approach for students entering university: these courses do not demand specific prior knowledge, foster difficult ways of thinking, and focus on developing research skills through access to library resources. Finally, the paper reports on students’ expectations about higher education and underscores the importance of re-thinking at least the first-year experience for students.     

关于区域同城化的研究综述

继2005年深圳最早提出与香港形成＂同城化＂的发展态势和理念后,国内众多相邻区域都先后提出了同城化的发展战略与思路,各区域板块正呈现出以＂同城化＂为导向或龙头的区域经济发展趋势。本文归纳和总结了国内同城化的研究概况与进展,以期对相邻区域的发展模式提供一定的启示。     

Social innovation indicators

This article provides the results of the Regional Social Innovation Index (RESINDEX), a conceptual and empirical model that explores indicators of social innovation at organizational and regional level. The RESINDEX model links absorptive capacity of knowledge and social innovation in four types of key regional agents: profit and non-profit organizations, universities, and technological centres. The pilot application of the RESINDEX model held in the Basque Country (Spain) during the year 2013. Within the framework of this study 282 regional organizations were surveyed. The article contributes to the conceptual and empirical discussion on indicators in social innovation.     

“十二五”时期推进长三角夏域创新体系建设的思考

长三角是我国综合实力最强的区域。“十一五”以来,长三角区域两省一市不断增加科技投入,科技创业日益活跃,创新氛围日益浓郁,区域科技合作意识不断强化,技术产权市场和跨地区技术转移日趋高效,逐步形成了协同开放、运转有序的跨行政区域创新体系,其主要经验,对我国推进各具特色的区域创新体系建设具有重要的示范意义。“十二五”时期,长三角区域推进创新体系建设,一要建设应用导向、教研结合的区域知识创新体系,二要构建市场导向、企业主体的区域技术创新体系,三要打造政府引导、市场主导的区域中介服务体系,四要构筑开放协作、运转高效的区域创新环境支撑体系,五要构架服务为主、管理为辅的区域创新协同管理体系。     

The stress of the university experience for students with Asperger syndrome

College students, with or without disabilities, are faced with numerous stressful situations within the university environment. For an individual diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, success at this level requires non-traditional supports. With limited knowledge of this disorder, the university staff are faced with a distinct disadvantage in their efforts to outline an appropriate plan. While providing traditional academic assistance is now commonplace, federal laws mandate that universities widen the scope of support so as not to exclude any student from campus activities or programs. In an effort to provide a framework for support, this article interfaces diagnostic information with the realities of college life. Areas of focus include the transition process, social rules, engagement in academic activities, and mastering a new life of independence. It is hoped that the presented suggestions might prove helpful as universities begin to establish service support teams and outline plans of support.     

Young people,social media and connective action: from organisational maintenance to everyday political talk

Social media is pervasive in the lives of young people, and this paper critically analyses how politically engaged young people integrate social media use into their existing organisations and political communications. This qualitative research project studied how young people from a broad range of existing political and civic groups use social media for sharing information, mobilisation and, increasingly, as a means to redefine political action and political spaces. Twelve in-person focus groups were conducted in Australia, the USA and the UK with matched affinity groups based on university campuses. The groups were of four types: party political group, issue-based group, identity-based group and social group. Our focus group findings suggest that this in-depth approach to understanding young people's political engagement reveals important group-based differences emerging in young people's citizenship norms: between the dutiful allegiance to formal politics and a more personalised, self-actualising preference for online, discursive forms of political engagement and organising. The ways in which political information is broadcast, shared and talked about on social media by engaged young people demonstrate the importance of communicative forms of action for the future of political engagement and connective action.