UMSL, SLU make top 25 list of “best neighbors”
A view from inside UMSL's student center
The University of Missouri-St. Louis and St. Louis University have landed on a top 25 list of colleges that make the “best neighbors.”.
“Saviors of our Cities: Survey of Best College and University Civic Partnerships” is the second study put out by Evan Dobelle, president of Westfield State College in Massachusetts. The list is based on the results of a questionnaire and on-site interviews that tried to gauge the positive economic, social and cultural impact that universities have on the metropolitan areas in which they reside.
The survey was released today, when Dobelle was scheduled to present the findings at the 15th annual conference of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities.
UMSL is in a three-way tie for #14 with the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Houston. The survey pointed to UMSL’s social service and community health efforts through several university centers such as the Center for Trauma Recovery, Sue Shear Institute for Women in Public Life, and the Children’s Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis.
“All provide community-wide support and establish UMSL as one of the most important community service providers in any metropolitan area in the country,” the report said.
SLU landed at the #22 spot.
“St. Louis University reflects the best of the Jesuit devotion to the inner city poor. Foregoing an opportunity to move to a suburban location, the university chose to remain and help revitalize downtown St. Louis,” the reports said.
The survey singled out SLU’s Micah Program in which students with an interest in community service live together and do various projects in the community. It also noted SLU’s Doerr Center for Social Justice Education and Research, which focuses on the urban poor.
Washington University was among the 100 institutions listed on the honor roll.
The University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California tied for the #1 spot. The University of Dayton and the University of Pittsburgh tied for #2.
The report notes that it is meant to highlight programs, not to exclude any. It also did not include schools in more traditional “college towns” which is probably why schools like Mizzou did not make the list.
The list used some of the following criteria:
- real dollars invested
- catalyst effect on others
- presence felt though payroll, research and purchasing power
- faculty and student involvement in community service
- effect on local student access and affordability to attend college through K-12 partnerships
The 2009 list is an updated report from a similar survey in 2006. Neither SLU nor UMSL made the top 25 list in the inaugural survey.
The Grade is the St. Louis region’s premier blog on education and child welfare. To read other recent posts, go to www.stltoday.com/thegrade.
Kavita Kumar covers retail for the Post-Dispatch. She was previously the newspaper's higher education reporter. 
UMSL has done more to destroy the neighborhood that the Normandy School District. Going back to when it was a golf course would be the best thing for the whole area. Remenber when they were paying armed robbers to come to UMSL for a study? How many small companies have they taken off of the tax roles?
Are you kidding? University of Illinois at Chicago might as well be on the list. UMSL has done nothing for the surrounding neighborhood, while SLU has taken every defensible space planning tactic, short of installing turreted machine gun towers, at ensuring Midtown stays worlds away from SLU. How many buildings have they demolished since my father attended from the late 70’s to early 80’s? He doesn’t recognize the area.
SLU is not in downtown St. Louis!
Yeah Kevin, you’re totally on to something. We should demolish schools and replace them with golf courses. Because golf courses educate peopel and create tons of jobs!
Wait, no.
9 out of 10 surface parking lots and open spaces think SLU is a good neighbor. actual buildings that were surveyed refused to answer, fearing that Father Biondi would notice them and tear them down too.
There are some pretty small minded people in St. Louis. Imagine what that area would be like if UMSL wasn’t there. Do you think Express Scripts would have built that mulit-milllion dollar facility in North St. Louis is UMSL hadn’t already been there? No way. The only reason that area is even remotely habitual is because of UMSL. Otherwise, it would be like the rest of the North side. You only have to drive 5 minutes east of the campus to find out what I’m talking about.
And as for your golf course comment, Normandy Golf Course is still right down the street, and it’s certainly doing a lot to “bring up the area”.
You should think before you type, Kevin.
If you’re a “progressive civic planner” then SLU might be a good neighbor. if you care at all about neighborhoods, historic structures, and salvaging a sense of community in our city, then they are the most pathetic, deceitful, and damaging of neighbors.
I try not to wander into Biondi village but it is very difficult when you have to drive north on Grand. From Interstate 44 to Washington Blvd. it appears SLU has taken over mid-city. I agree with Douglas and Lynn regarding what SLU “gives back” to the city. It seems that the city “gives in” to SLU demands.
This report is not even accurate. I reviewed the list, which indicates that the University of Pittsburgh is ranked No. 18, not tied for 2nd. IUPUI (Indian University/Purdue University - Indianapolis) is tied for 2nd with the University of Dayton. How do you confuse a number 2 ranking with a number 18? Guess this makes the Rams number one in the NFL!
Karen, I think you’re confusing the 2006 and 2009 lists, both of which I have linked to this blog post. The link in the first paragraph to the story is the 2009 list, whereas the link towards the bottom (to the “inaugural survey”) is for the 2006 list. I double-checked and the University of Dayton and the University of Pittsburgh indeed tied for second place in the 2009 list.