Both sides of the story: exploring university relations with local African-American communities

Pognon, Melissa

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Description

Title

Both sides of the story: exploring university relations with local African-American communities

Author(s)

Pognon, Melissa

Issue Date

2011-05-25T14:53:37Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Hughes, Robert

Department of Study

Human & Community Development

Discipline

Human & Community Development

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• community-university partnership
• civic engagement

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of African-Americans and university collaborators regarding their experiences with community-university partnerships and to suggest possible strategies to strengthen these working relationships. By drawing on the responses of eighteen community and university representatives, this study sought to answer the following three questions: (a) Do African-American residents and academics perceive the benefits and challenges of participating in community-university relationships differently? (b) In what context do African-American residents and academics agree on the benefits and challenges of community-university relationships? (c) If there are differences, do these differences create barriers to engagement efforts? Significant findings in this study revealed that university partners generally perceived relationships as a way to access the community On the other hand, community participants viewed relationships as a resource to exchange and share resources with the university but perceived the lack of sustained efforts from the university as a challenge. Both community and university partners perceived institutional protocol and the demand for tangible outcomes in the community as challenges. Furthermore, findings also revealed that the history of race relations and the nature of a college-town community influenced the views and experiences of the participants.

Graduation Semester

2011-05

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/24303

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2011 Melissa Pognon

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