Syracuse University selected to host 2014 Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities’ annual conference

The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) has selected Syracuse University as host site for its 2014 annual meeting. SU will host the 20th annual CUMU Conference on campus in October 2014. 

With the theme, “Universities as Anchor Institutions: Driving Change in Older Industrial Cities,” the 2014 CUMU conference will focus on:

• Forging “communities of experts” through cross-sector and multi-sector collaborations;
• Moving beyond “doing for” metropolitan communities toward a model of engaging with, and working alongside them in ways that generate a two-way flow of ideas and benefits;
• Building social infrastructure through inclusive urban education initiatives;
• Transforming urban neighborhoods through the arts, design, and green building technologies;
• and partnering with other local anchor institutions to facilitate community development. 

“Urban and metropolitan universities are playing critical roles in their communities, and Syracuse is proud and excited to host CUMU in 2014,” says SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor. “As the nation and the world continue to urbanize rapidly—which data continue to show us—the stakes of our work only intensify. As we forge partnerships locally to find solutions to the pressing challenges that our communities face, we find that our strategies and solutions increasingly resonate nationally and globally. This ‘anchor institution’ work is at the cutting edge of what CUMU universities are doing today: to push the envelope of research and teaching while making a difference in the world.” 

As an anchor institution in the city of Syracuse, SU is building on its historical strengths and pursuing collaborations that simultaneously enrich scholarship and research and change the face of an older industrial city. Through extensive partnerships with the public, private and non-profit sectors, SU is creating meaningful opportunities for students and faculty to learn and discover—through its vision of Scholarship in Action—while tackling pressing issues in our city that resonate in our nation and world through initiatives such as the Connective Corridor, Near Westside Initiative, Say Yes to Education, and the Syracuse Center of Excellence. 

Founded in 1990, CUMU is the premier higher education resource for urban and metropolitan institutions that seek new ways of using their human and physical resources to address the problems of their metropolitan area. CUMU is a leadership organization bringing together presidents, administrators, and faculty to share best practices through conferences, seminars, networks, and publications, including the internationally recognized Metropolitan Universities Journal. The Coalition includes 80 member universities that represent over 50 metropolitan communities in the U.S. and abroad. 

A sub-committee of the CUMU Executive Committee selects the conference host sites. For more information on the conference and announcement, visit http://cumuonline.org/newsroom.aspx.