The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

UD honored for community impact

Asphalt can only be sealed; only concrete is resurfaced
10:43 a.m.
Dollar stores get wider range of customers
10:32 a.m.
Honda gets a double-shot of good consumer news
10:30 a.m.
Anthem puts emphasis on quality
10:29 a.m.
UD researcher uses know-how to photograph local eagles
5/25/12
> More headlines

By Dave Larsen, Staff Writer 11:20 AM Monday, October 12, 2009

DAYTON — The University of Dayton’s efforts to revitalize Dayton has earned national attention.

UD was ranked among the nation’s top 25 universities helping to save America’s cities from blight in a survey released Monday, Oct. 12.

UD tied for No. 2 overall and ranked No. 1 among Catholic universities in the 2009 “Saviors of Our Cities” survey announced Monday at the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities annual conference in Philadelphia.

UD ranked No. 3 overall in the first “Saviors of Our Cities” survey in 2006.

The list’s 25 universities were selected because of the positive impact on their urban communities, according to Evan Dobelle, president of Westfield State College, who announced the rankings.

“We have seen a major shift in our national economy, and many U.S. cities that once depended on corporations and large populations are struggling to survive,” said Daniel J. Curran, UD president, in a media release.

“Higher education must take the lead and bring a sense of urgency and willingness to engage their communities and regard revitalization as mission-central,” Curran said.

The “Saviors of Our Cities” ranking described UD as “perhaps the most innovative of all engaged colleges and universities.”

Criteria to rank the schools included their long-standing involvement, dollars invested by the universities, faculty and student involvement in community service, sustainability of neighborhood initiatives and the effect on local student access and affordability to attend college through K-12 partnerships.

UD’s community revitalization efforts include:

- UD in 2005 purchased more than 50 acres of former NCR Corp. factory land and with the help of state and federal funds is cleaning it up and preparing it for economic development, according to university officials.

- The Dayton Early College Academy, operated by UD’s School of Education and Allied Professions, is a Dayton public high school that has earned national acclaim.

- The Rivers Institute, part of UD’s Fitz Center for Leadership in Community, is an initiative to bring Dayton and surrounding communities together to join efforts to protect and preserve area water resources.

- UD’s Institute for Development and Commercialization of Advanced Sensor Technology (IDCast) is the first tenant in Tech Town, the Dayton region’s technology-oriented district. In less than three years, IDCast has helped to start three companies and create 250 jobs, according to university officials.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2419 or dlarsen@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Share this article