ABSTRACT
Collaborations between universities and the neighborhoods or communities they are located within are no longer novel enterprises. Over the years, institutions of higher education in the US, Canada and England, especially those located in or near cities, have been very active with their communities. This trend has also included universities outside of cities for a variety of reasons. Increasingly, colleges and universities have not been able to ignore the communities they inhabit, especially those communities that have felt economic downturns or have experienced blight, gentrification or other social issues. Projects that help to strengthen the relationship between institutions of higher education and their neighbors are beneficial to both parties (Fisher et al., 2004). The end result is that universities and communities have been involved together in research projects, the creation of field internships and service-learning opportunities, as well as curriculum development and other projects (Fisher et al., 2004, Siemens, 2012; Ostrander and Chapin-Hogue, 2011).
