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Posts Tagged ‘Dr. Evan S. Dobelle’

Which Universities in the US Make the Best Neighbors?

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

The Top 25 are:

1. University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA
1. University of Southern California – Los Angeles, CA
2. University of Dayton – Dayton, OH
2. University of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA
5. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis – Indianapolis, IN
6. Creighton University – Omaha, NE
7. Case Western Reserve University – Cleveland, OH
8. Tulane University – New Orleans, LA
9. Portland State University – Portland, OR
10. Drexel University – Philadelphia, PA
11. Virginia Commonwealth University – Richmond, VA
12. University of Louisville – Louisville, KY
13. University of Rochester – Rochester, NY
14. University of Houston – Houston, TX
14. University of Missouri at Kansas City – Kansas City, MO
14. University of Missouri at St. Louis – St. Louis, MO
17. Emory University – Atlanta, GA
18. University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee – Milwaukee, WI
19. Carnegie Mellon University – Pittsburgh, PA
20. Rhode Island School of Design – Providence, RI
21. Miami-Dade College – Miami
22. St. Louis University – St. Louis, MO
23. Rutgers-Newark, State University of New Jersey – Newark, NJ
24. George Washington University – Washington, DC
25. University of Nebraska-Omaha – Omaha, NE

The criteria include the following:

  • Length of involvement with the community
  • Real dollars invested
  • Catalyst effect on others
  • Presence felt through payroll, research and purchasing power
  • Faculty and student involvement in community service
  • Continued sustainability of neighborhood initiatives
  • Effect on local student access and affordability to attend college through K–12 partnerships
  • Qualitative esprit of the institution in its engagement
  • Quantifiable increase in positive recognition of the institution
  • Increase in student applications and resources raised through renewed alumni giving
  • Recognition of the impact of these institutions within their community


The above information was taken from Saviors of Our Cities: 2009 Survey of College & University Civic Partnerships. The study was conducted by Dr. Evan S. Dobelle of Westfield State College in Westfield, Massachusetts.