Volunteerism in college often leads to life-long civic engagement; college graduates volunteer more, vote more often, and participate more in their communities. Colleges and universities also offer numerous—often free—artistic, athletic, cultural, and musical events.
During these challenging times, when the state’s resources are stretched, New York’s 100+ private, not-for profit colleges and universities play a significant role as “anchor tenants” in their respective regions, cities, villages, towns and neighborhoods. We are poised to help address the challenges facing New York State communities and to provide critical services and programs to assist the broad needs of our neighbors. This “Campus Community Partners” website highlights the brainpower, partnerships and resources that we bring to our communities.
Thank you for visiting this online resource site. In the various sections of this website, you can learn more about how we provide vital community outreach activities. Click any of the tabs above to learn more. For example:
- Calendar – For listings of community events/activities happening at cIcu member campuses across New York State.
- Community Contributions – For stories about the cultural, economic and social contributions New York’s private, independent colleges and universities make to our communities.
- In Your Neighborhood- For a searchable database of projects focused on underutilized land/buildings; entrepreneurial and/or business planning; outreach to school children, the disabled, or elderly; college officials in community leadership roles, boards and panels addressing community issues; and public dialogues on current community issues.
- Resources – For links to other community oriented organizations both nationally and within New York State, as well as to the websites of our private, not-for-profit colleges and universities.
- Contact – For a form to use to pose questions or share information.
Moving Forward: A Community Solutions Grant Program
Taking inspiration from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) program that fostered collaborations between institutions of higher education and their communities, a “Community Solutions Grants” program could leverage the capacity of New York’s colleges and universities in addressing the challenges facing Main Street and our urban centers.
About cIcu:
The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (cIcu) represents the chief executives of New York’s 100+ independent (private, not-for-profit) colleges and universities on issues of public policy. Member colleges compose the largest private sector of higher education in the world and confer most of the bachelor's degrees (54%), master's degrees (73%), and doctoral and first-professional degrees (79%) earned in New York State.
cIcu member campuses enroll more than 486,000 students, including nearly 300,000 New York State residents. One in three (27%) New Yorkers enrolled full time at independent colleges and universities in the state comes from a family earning less than $40,000 annually. And most (51%) African-American and Latino students who earn their bachelor’s and graduate degrees in New York State are Independent Sector alumni. For more information, visit www.cicu.org.