Building Higher Education's "Trust Infrastructure" with Bobbie Laur

Building Higher Education's "Trust Infrastructure" with Bobbie Laur

In this episode Paul Kuttner speaks with Bobbie Laur, President of Campus Compact, about the political attacks on higher education and the growing loss of public confidence. Laur argues that community engagement — partnerships between communities and higher ed institutions — can serve as a "trust infrastructure." Community engagement helps to rebuild public faith in colleges and universities by addressing pressing societal challenges. Paul and Bobbie discuss the valid concerns driving this loss of confidence (cost, access, inequality), Bobbie's journey into partnership work, examples of campuses integrating community engagement across the institution, and Compact's new federal advocacy efforts. Read Bobbie's article, A Higher Education Compact in Action [https://compact.org/news/a-higher-education-compact-in-action] Learn more about Campus Compact and their many initiatives at https://compact.org [https://compact.org] ---------------------------- If you like this show, you can hear all the episodes and more at https://partnershipwork.org [https://partnershipwork.org] You can also join our free Substack newsletter at https://partnershipwork.substack.com/ [https://partnershipwork.substack.com/] Partnership Work is an independent podcast, produced with the support of Urban Media Arts in Malden, MA. Visit them at https://urbanmediaarts.org/ [https://urbanmediaarts.org/] The music for this episode was Hazy Reflections from the NFL Music Library on APM Music.

Bridging Urban-Rural Divides with Joseph Bubman

After the 2016 presidential election, and the deep divisions in American society that it highlighted, there was a boom in efforts to build bridges and facilitate dialogue between people of different backgrounds and political beliefs. Today's guest was similarly inspired, but the approach he took was a bit different than most. Joseph Bubman spent years doing peacebuilding and conflict resolution work around the world, and in 2016 he asked what it would look like to use some of those successful peacebuilding practices here at home. This led him and his colleagues to launch Urban Rural Action. They started by focusing on bringing together urban and rural communities, but the work quickly expanded to address the many ways that we are divided by race, religion, age, class, politics, and geography. In this conversation, Joe talks with host Paul Kuttner about his experiences abroad and the lessons he carries with him from that time. He describes how he began translating peacebuilding practices to the US context, and the limitations of initiatives that focus only on dialogue, without also creating opportunities to build capacity and take action. Joe tells the story of his organization’s evolution, from early experiments into a what is now a network of local hubs across the country. And he shares some concrete tools and frameworks he’s picked up along his journey. Learn more about Urban Rural Action at https://www.uraction.org/ [https://www.uraction.org/] Read about the work Mercy Corps does around the world at https://www.mercycorps.org [https://www.mercycorps.org] Joe was inspired early in his career by the books Beyond Machiavelli [https://books.google.com/books/about/Beyond_Machiavelli.html?id=sdHZAAAAMAAJ]by Roger Fisher and Difficult Conversations [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/722989/difficult-conversations-by-douglas-stone-bruce-patton-and-sheila-heen-foreword-by-roger-fisher/] by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen. Read a summary of intergroup contact theory at Simply Psychology [https://www.simplypsychology.org/contact-hypothesis.html]. Visit Braver Angels (formerly Better Angels) at https://braverangels.org/ [https://braverangels.org/] ———————— To subscribe to this podcast, visit https://partnershipwork.org [https://partnershipwork.org] or your favorite podcasting platform. You can also join our free Substack newsletter at https://partnershipwork.substack.com/ [https://partnershipwork.substack.com/] Partnership Work is an independent podcast, produced with the support of Urban Media Arts in Malden, MA. Visit them at https://urbanmediaarts.org/ [https://urbanmediaarts.org/] The music for this episode was Hazy Reflections from the NFL Music Library on APM Music.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? University Partnerships with Jamilah Ducar

In this episode, host Paul Kuttner talks with Dr. Jamilah Ducar, Associate Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Community Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, about what it means for a university to be a good partner with its surrounding community. They explore Pitt’s listening-first approach to partnership, strategies for building (and rebuilding trust), and the everyday work of centering relationships. Jamie shares concrete examples of community development and educational partnerships, illustrating how universities can align faculty, staff, and operations to support neighborhoods. They also discuss the skills and organizational architecture needed for effective community engagement. And Jamie shares a bit about her journey into this work, from early family life, to the service industry, to human services, to higher ed.  For more about the University of Pittsburgh's approach to community engagement visit https://www.community.pitt.edu/ [https://www.community.pitt.edu/] To hear Jamie talking about her dissertation research, check out this video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM_8WsqsMYo].  Read The Community Engagement Professional in Higher Education [https://compact.org/resources/the-community-engagement-professional-in-higher-education-a-competency-model-for-an-emerging-field] and its companion the Community Engagement Professional's Guidebook [https://compact.org/resources/the-community-engagement-professionals-guidebook-a-companion-to-the-community-engagement-professional-in-higher-education]: ———————— To subscribe to this podcast, visit https://partnershipwork.org [https://partnershipwork.org] or subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. Partnership Work is an independent podcast, produced with the support of Urban Media Arts in Malden, MA. Visit them at https://urbanmediaarts.org/ [https://urbanmediaarts.org/] The music for this episode was Hazy Reflections from the NFL Music Library on APM Music.

Remixing Research with Judy Pryor-Ramirez

Join Paul Kuttner as he sits down with Judy Pryor-Ramirez to trace her journey as a community-based, participatory action researcher. From playful beach-themed data labs to virtual story circles, Judy shares a vision of research that shifts power, builds community, and sparks action. Judy is a Clinical Associate Professor of Public Service at the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, where she studies and teaches about social justice leadership. Judy is also a consultant, partnering with social justice leaders to facilitate transformation for their teams, organizations, and networks. Her career has spanned government, nonprofits, and higher education. To find out more about Judy you can visit her website: https://www.judypryorramirez.com [https://www.judypryorramirez.com] To learn more about the Story Circle Interview Method, check out Judy's chapter in the book Anti-colonial research praxis: Methods for knowledge justice [https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526177001/]. For some history on story circles, Judy recommends checking out Lizzy Cooper Davis's chapter, The Free Southern Theater's Story Circle Process [https://www.labster8.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Free-Southern-Theaters-Story-Circle-Process_-1.pdf]. Learn more about the national network Judy talks about, Imagining America [https://imaginingamerica.org/] For more information about critical and community-based participatory action research, Judy recommends some of her teachers at the Public Science Project [https://publicscienceproject.org/]. ———————— To subscribe to this podcast, visit https://partnershipwork.org [https://partnershipwork.org] or subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. Partnership Work is an independent podcast, produced with the support of Urban Media Arts in Malden, MA. Visit them at https://urbanmediaarts.org/ [https://urbanmediaarts.org/] The music for Partnership Work is Revolution, composed by John August Pregler and Bernard James Perry II.

Opportunity and Belonging with Ze Min Xiao

In this episode, host Paul Kuttner talks with Ze Min Xiao, President and CEO of The Center for Economic Opportunity and Belonging in Utah. Ze founded the center just a few years ago, with the goal of building “a Utah where everyone can thrive and belong.” As you’ll hear, that means bringing community leaders and organizations together with highest levels of state government, businesses, nonprofits, and funders to tackle economic and educational disparities. Ze shares how her family, and her many years working in immigrant and refugee services, shaped her belief in putting community wisdom first. She talks about what it takes to build partnerships across lines of faith and political party in deep-red Utah, even on major political lightning rods like immigration. She opens up about the emotional toll this work can take, and where she finds resilience and hope when things are at their bleakest.   Ze doesn’t hold back in her assessment of where things stand right now. But she leaves us with what she says good leaders offer us: a future vision we can work toward together. Visit Ze's organization at belonginutah.org [https://www.belonginutah.org/] Learn about Team Democracy's river rafting project at raftforamerica.org [https://www.raftforamerica.org/] ———————— To subscribe to this podcast, visit https://partnershipwork.org [https://partnershipwork.org] or subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform. Partnership Work is an independent podcast, produced with the support of Urban Media Arts in Malden, MA. Visit them at https://urbanmediaarts.org/ [https://urbanmediaarts.org/] The music for Partnership Work is Revolution, composed by John August Pregler and Bernard James Perry II.