Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Town Engages Gown: Engagement And Collaboration Between Local Governments And Institutions Of Higher Education, Vivian Gonzalez Cueto

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes the engagement between universities and their respective municipalities. Although a sizable amount of research has explored relationships between town and gown, we still lack a clear understanding of why engagement works better between some universities and municipalities but not for others. This dissertation argues that university engagement with local governments, while a necessary and increasingly important part of institutional activities, cannot be effective unless it is done in earnest collaboration with the localities. Short of collaboration, engagement between town and gown only exists as a unilateral relationship, which despite its actual benefits, undermines trust and can cause …