Thinking and Doing—Doing and Thinking

Abstract

Two overarching questions central to the development mission of the University of Massachusetts Lowell are discussed in this article. First, how does the university restructure its myriad activities to have a transformative impact on the regional economy while continuing to provide meaningful learning experiences for graduate and undergraduate students? Second, just who ought to participate in discussions about the nature of such a restructuring? Central to the authors' analysis is a review of projects undertaken over the past several years at the university under the auspices of $400,000 community outreach partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.