Panelists: Colleges should aid schools

Urban universities need to partner with local schools to improve the quality of education in cities, according to a panel held at Penn on Tuesday.

The symposium, held by the Gesu Institute on Inner-City Education in Houston Hall's Bodek Lounge, was moderated by John DiIulio, a Penn professor in the Fox Leadership Program.

The panelists emphasized the importance of partnerships between colleges and the communities they are located in.

Drexel University President Constantine Papadakis highlighted a mandatory Drexel class that puts all of its freshmen in Philadelphia's elementary schools for at least five hours of community service.

Director of Penn's Center for Community Partnerships Ira Harkavy underscored the continuing need for Penn to be involved in the improvement of the community in education and in other areas.

"A great university should be involved [in order] to help solve the problem of hunger and homelessness in partnership with the communities," he said.

Linda Wing of the University of Chicago's Center for Urban School Improvement said she associates hope with "the unseen" and faith with demonstrated results.

"We've moved hope to faith," she said, eliciting a collective "amen" from other panelists.

Wing said she believes that partnership is necessary for securing lasting progress.

"If you go alone you can go fast; if you go in partnership you can go far," she said.

The Gesu School, founded in 1993, serves 435 black North Philadelphia students.

The Catholic school receives support from Penn, St. Joseph's University, Temple University and Drexel.

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