Promise Parent Leadership Academy (PPLA) and Clemente Veterans’ Initiative (CVI) Newark

Two Hyperlocal, Anchor Institution Initiatives to Engage the Urban Community

Abstract

Urban and metropolitan colleges and universities can play an important role in innovative, equitable community revitalization. This is especially true for universities that also function as anchor institutions; there is both a challenge and an opportunity for such urban anchors to conduct their work in a manner that engages the community proximate to campus and improves the lives of its residents. This paper presents the Promise Parent Leadership Academy (PPLA) and Clemente Veterans’ Initiative (CVI) Newark as two examples of how an urban, postsecondary anchor institution can establish and nurture hyperlocal initiatives to improve outcomes for underserved residents. PPLA and CVI Newark, established in 2017 and 2019, respectively, have emerged as novel, impactful, and scalable initiatives that move beyond the typical one-way flow of intellectual capital generated within the confines of a university. Instead, PPLA and CVI Newark actively engage community members in meaningful, intellectually rigorous work that adds value to the institution, program participants, and greater Newark. Data from program evaluations indicate that participants of both programs—most of whom are adults of color from low-income households—gain personal and professional skills that bolster their confidence, critical thinking, and quality of life.