Student Profile/Diversity of Student Body

• Students reflect demographics of the urban community--varied ethnicity, race, age, socioeconomic backgrounds

• Students are "permanent" residents of the city who bring urban issues to the university

• Students need to develop skills to prosper economically in the city

• Students typically work while attending the university, have multiple roles and responsibilities

• Students are more professionally oriented and may thus be more highly motivated than traditional students

• Many transfer students/varied matriculation patterns

• Many part-time students

• Many low-income and first-generation students

• Varied educational goals--not necessarily planning to complete a degree, longer time to degree

• Varied proficiency levels

• Access to students after graduation

• Generational aspect to student body

 Program Mix

• Programs reflect need to provide skilled workforce for metropolitan area

• Programs provide working adults with opportunity for professional advancement and career growth

• Emphasis on interdisciplinary programs related to contemporary societal and urban issues

• Program content reflects commitment to diversity 

• Courses are tied to regional cultural life

• Courses introduce students to the urban environment

Community interactions and partnerships in teaching, research and service

Teaching and Learning

• Various types of "real-world" experiences incorporated into teaching and learning--field study, internships, clinical placements, practica, service learning, cooperative learning

• Enriched learning environment for students (e.g., internships and field studies, multicultural experiences)

Research

• City provides enrichment for scholarship with urban emphasis

• Urban research is part of mission

• Use of community as laboratory

• Faculty conduct research relevant to urban area's quality of life

• Enriched opportunities for scholarship

 Service

• Urban outreach part of mission and strategic plan

• Commitment to meet needs of urban region

• Service through small business assistance

• Service through K-12 partnerships

Emphasis on access and alternative modes of course, curriculum and service delivery

• Programs scheduled so students can fit them into their work lives

• Need to consider when and by what means courses and student services should be available

• Accessibility for students

What measures of achievement might illustrate the urban character of the university?

Current students

• Number/proportion of students engaged in service learning

• Number/proportion of students engaged in research on urban issues

Graduates
(Consider transfer vs. native students for many of these.)

• Who graduates?

• Graduation rates of transfer vs. native students

• Relationships between retention and work obligations

• Relationships between time to degree and work obligations

• Core skills at graduation

• Value added for students in different stages of their lives

• Performance on licensure/certification exams (e.g., nursing, teaching)

• Graduates' satisfaction

• Percentage/number of alumni who stay in the region

• Percentage/number of alumni involved in volunteer community service

•  Percentage/number of alumni in key job categories in metropolitan area (physicians, teachers, etc.)

• Social mobility of graduates

• Career paths of graduates

• Number/proportion of graduates who go on to graduate or professional school

 Faculty work

• Research and scholarship responsive to community concerns

• Professional service to community

• Programs/initiatives that target community needs

• Contributions to public policy development and response to those contributions

Other issues

• How/where do urban public universities "fit" into their state systems?

• How can we appropriately reward faculty for scholarly work that involves community partnerships?

• How can we help faculty reach consensus on what it means to be "urban"?

• How can we convey the high quality of urban institutions?

• How does investment in urban institutions make changes in the community?