Community-University Model

Designed a 'community-university' that centers the needs of the community and promotes democratic practice.

curriculum design, design thinking

Overview

Since the 1950s, universities have become the primary provider of a private good: the college degree, which enables individuals to advance their careers and increase their earning potential. Recent data on the lifetime earnings of those with a Bachelor's degree indicate that the earning-enhancing function of universities is well-intact, but often comes with complicated ethical costs for those who come from marginalized backgrounds. Furthermore, disparities in earnings and health outcomes between those with versus without a Bachelor's degree indicate that an inter-educational divide has developed. Meanwhile, powerful external forces are pressuring the university model to evolve, including a dire financial situation, structural economic shifts, climate change, and the public mistrust of higher education. To address these complex challenges, universities must reject a narrow identity as degree-providers and instead apply their powers of research, training, and organizing towards transforming the infrastructure that moderates educational opportunities and health outcomes. Arizona State University (ASU) exemplifies how a university can transform from a vehicle of individual mobility to a vehicle of public transformation. Since 2002, ASU has implemented a sweeping array of reforms to address global, regional, and local issues while transforming Arizona's health and education infrastructure.