eee eee Ceeeaeeeeeeeeeeee eee eee iA H 3 CLASS ACT—A metropolitan university is not restricted solely to the classroom. The institution must create economic opportunities for its alumni. ince leaving college status behind, Weber State University has set its sights on becoming a new kind of Utah higher-education institution. Carving this niche began when newly installed President Paul H. Thompson symbolically added Weber State to a growing list of 50 U.S. institutions that have declared themselves “metropolitan universities.” “T’m excited about the concept of a metropolitan university and its emphasis on learning,” Dr. Thompson says. Such institutions, Dr. Thompson explains, are distinguished from other universities by their dedication to “the intellectual, economic, social and cultural development of their surrounding communities and region.” He says the designation as a “metropolitan university” will boost social and business supporters and address criticism from those who were opposed to university status for Weber State. “There’s a crying-out in urban America for people to do for urban America what state universities did in the last century for rural America,” Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young has told college and university educators. “We have the most productive agricultural system in the history of the world. It did not come about by accident. It came about through land-grant colleges, state farm programs... (and) as a result of the integration of the university system with the agricultural community. A similar kind of relationship between universities and the cities is necessary.” Dr. Thompson says he has just that kind of relationship in mind for Weber State. He has outlined a three-fold mission for the new university that will provide practical education for students of all ages and backgrounds, encourage intellectual development within its faculty and create ie community partnerships that lead to economic growth. Notably missing from Weber State’s goals are any plans to offer doctoral programs or seek major research projects. Critics of Weber State’s drive for university status had predicted that the new university would seek to rival the University of Utah and Utah State University in those areas. But Dr. Thompson insists that the future of Weber State will depend instead on new, cooperative relationships with the surrounding metropolitan area. The concept of the metropolitan university emerged during the 1980s when educational theorists realized that post-World War II institutions of higher learning in major urban centers faced challenges unlike those of more rural universities. Sociologists were predicting a future of sprawling metroplexes linked by rapid economic expansion along connecting transportation beltways. But those metroplexes also would become major centers of homelessness, unemployment, drug abuse, youth gang activity and other social problems. Universities that maintain their traditional and narrowly defined educational roles have little interest in trying to cope with those problems or correct their root causes, wrote educators Ernest A. Lynton and Sandra Elman in their 1987 monograph “New Priorities for the University.” They wrote: “A large number of institutions are failing to realize their full potential because their internal system of values, priorities and aspirations primarily emphasizes and rewards traditional modes of teaching for which the clientele is shrinking and basic research for which most of these institutions cannot receive adequate support. This has resulted in a real crisis of purpose. By believing themselves to be what they are not, these institutions fall short of what they could be.” Rather than establishing ivory towers to study society’s woes, universities should become agents of change to correct problems around them, according to Dr. Lynton and Dr. Elman. But before trying to transform its community, the university must undergo change itself, they said. Patricia R. Plante, former president of the University of Southern Maine, told Weber State faculty and staff, “We can define and strengthen our universities, not by trying to mimic the distinguished missions of research universities and colleges of liberal arts, but by forging a focused and distinctive mission of our own to meet the needs of this country’s metropolitan areas.” Utah Gov. Norman H. Bangerter has praised Dr. Thompson’s new vision for Weber State. The governor agrees that the university must not only “teach, challenge and educate students, but also provide economic opportunity when they leave (the university).” Dr. Plante said that universities traditionally interact only with surrounding communities through a few well-defined agencies — often their colleges of education or centers for urban studies. But once an institution has adopted the metropolitan-university philosophy, its commitment to interact with its metropolitan neighbors should permeate all its colleges and departments. Dr. Plante said proposed organizational models for metropolitan universities suggest that such institutions should: ¢ Adapt classroom instruction to meet the needs of traditional and nontraditional students. ¢ Provide increased opportunities for professionals to improve their education. ¢ Become a major source of research on technology, policy analysis and other professional services that produce immediate benefits to both the public and private sectors. To achieve those ends, Dr. Thompson has created new community and economic partnerships. The University also has established an aerospace center to develop new technology, a chemical technology center to solve industry-related chemical problems and a business and economic training and research program to provide services for promoting business development. The University has petitioned the State Board of Regents to establish two other centers—one to provide industries with manufacturing help and one to assist government agencies, industries, schools and citizens better understand environmental issues and regulations. “This program is more than just a public service by the university,” Dr. Thompson says. “It’s another way for us to educate students, to increase revenues and to improve the area’s economy and quality of life.” Editors Note: Weber State College became Weber State University Jan. 1, 199 . The change came after Weber State won approval from the Utah State Board of Regents, the Utah Legislature and the governor.