CLC-Conference-Proceeding-2018

where Cuban scholars presented their research in
community development, STEM fields, arts and
humanities, and law and engaged in roundtable
conversations with Rutgers faculty to develop
collaborative research projects.
The following papers from scholars at the
University of Havana document how the
community development framework and agenda
is reinforced through university scholarship and
practice. Dr. María del Carmen Zavala
Arguelles, Professor of the Faculty of Latin
American Social Sciences (FLACSO), presents
the experiences and perspectives of how Cuba
has fostered community development and
promotes social equity at the local/community
level. Dr. Reynaldo Jiménez Guethón, also of
FLACSO, discusses the growth and trajectory of
agricultural and non-agricultural cooperatives
that empower workers in the decision-making
processes. Dr. Cristina Diaz López,
Distinguished Professor in Analytical Chemistry,
shares her research in how universities build an
environmental culture of sustainable
development to protect natural resources and use
them for research and development of lifesustaining
products and processes.
Finally, Dr. Marta Lourdes Baguer,
Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science
applies nonnegative matrix factorizations as
computational analytical tools to detect and treat
breast cancer, symbolizing the active role that
universities contribute to STEM and medical
research to directly impact life-saving
procedures. The final set of papers are from
leading scholars from the Philadelphia/New
Jersey region who presented at the CLC’s Spring
2017 symposium on “Integrating Research,
Policy, and Practice: Reimagining the
University/City Connection.” Rutgers-Newark
Chancellor Nancy Cantor promotes universities
to build an “architecture of inclusion” to harness
entrepreneurs, artists, and learning networks
within their spheres of influence. Dr. Ira
Harkavy and Rita Hodges, Director and
Assistant Director, respectively, of the Netter
Center for Community Partnerships at the
University of Pennsylvania, call for an integrated
learning approach where universities engrain
experiential learning into its curriculum as a way
to build a stronger democratic and civic
partnership with communities. Dr. Gregory
Anderson, Dean of the School of Education at
Temple University, challenges the traditional
approach of community engagement of
universities and encourages a more active role
for universities to foster the development of early
learning centers and K-12 programs so students
and families in the university neighborhood
receive the best quality educational services.
These papers reflect the burgeoning
conversations of universities actively questioning
their impact and effectiveness in building and
empowering the communities around them.
They demonstrate that universities, as anchor
institutions, can foster a social justice mission to
improve the educational and economic
conditions of children and families throughout
their life cycle. They have a renewed mission to
support entrepreneurial faculty, leaders, and
students, who embed themselves in the
community building process and ensure that
resources are directed to better the world around
them.■
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REFERENCES
Bonilla-Santiago, G. (2014). The miracle on Cooper Street.
Archway Publishing, 2014.
Flora, C. and Jan Flora with Susan Fey (2004). Rural
communities: Legacy and change. 2nd ed. Boulder,
CO: Westview Press