The University and the Hamlets

To what extent can a university be a resource in the revitalization of a low-income community? This article explores an effort by Colgate University to enhance economic development in two low-income hamlets in Central New York through community visioning programs. Community visioning is a process that helps communities identify indigenous assets and use them to develop action plans for community development. The author argues that Colgate has been instrumental in three respects: (a) by making the process knowable and doable; (b) by playing the needed role of outsider, which helped the community to progress beyond internal political divides; and (c) by involving students, which changed the social interactions, increasing both the depth and breath of public participation. The author presents ethnographic and interview data and finishes by arguing that universities are better suited to playing these roles than are government agencies, nonprofits, and private consultants.