Making Place Matterhttp://www.aascu.org/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=4765

One such change is the emergence of the idea that place matters, that a mobile population able to live and do business virtually anywhere will focus on the viability and vitality of where they live and work.

From this idea has grown the concept of regional stewardship, which emphasizes the boundary-crossing required to build sustainable places and focuses on the imperatives of an innovative economy, livable communities, collaborative governance, and social inclusion.

State Universities offer tremendous potential as regional stewards

State colleges and universities, as institutions with a rich history of commitment to the places where they exist, offer tremendous potential as regional stewards.

A university acting as a regional steward knows knowledge cannot be separated from purpose.

Universities are ‘embedded’

According to Michael Crow, Arizona State University’s president, universities are “embedded” in regions. Their fates are intertwined and cannot be separated, meaning that universities must modify or even shed their traditional roles, and view themselves more integrally as stakeholders in the communities where they are located.

Following Crow’s logic, the “ivory tower model” will be “out” and the engaged university will be “in” in the nation’s third century.

The engaged university

This new kind of university would not only engage in community service, but also would become more integrally involved in the economic, social, and cultural health of its community.

An engaged campus is not just located within a community, it is intimately connected to the public purposes and aspirations of community life itself.

End of Fall Semester 2013:

Construction begins on renovating the first two floors of Bensen Hall. The ceramics area will remain. Faculty offices for all BSU and NTC faculty will be constructed along with the relocation of the nursing lab that is currently located on the bottom floor of Memorial Hall. The construction will be completed by the end of the semester so that the nursing faculty can move into their offices at the end of spring semester 2014 or in May or June of 2014.

Pending decision: Talley Gallery – relocation to an on- or off-campus location?

Construction and relocation

Next steps

In plotting next steps, it is important to remember that regional stewardship is not a task or a project. It is an orientation, a way of doing business and looking at the world. Building to that point requires commitment, creativity and flexibility on the part of all involved.

There is no single path to regional stewardship, but the journey starts with understanding the terrain and plotting a course.