The Value of Community Partnerships

Mark Burstein talked about why he accepted the position as Lawrence University's 16th President. He provided three main reasons.    (1) The strength of Lawrence's academic offerings and the quality education it provides.  (2) The quality of the community.  When students eat at Andrew Commons, they leave their backpacks, coats, cell phones, etc. on the stairs of the Warch Campus Center without worrying that it will walk away.  Students trust each other.  (3) The idea that attending Lawrence is life changing.  Alumni talk about how Lawrence provided an educational experience and prepared them to go out into the world.    Burstein has worked for other universities such as Columbia and Princeton which have complex relationships with their communities.  It is not the case in Appleton.  Many of the strategies, goals and objectives that Lawrence has are similar to Appleton and the Fox Cities.  In order to run a liberal arts university, a community needs energy and excitement for students (not too much to be a distraction) as well as faculty/staff.  Students at Lawrence have internship and volunteer opportunities.  More than 50% of the students do significant volunteer work in the community.  Burstein feels that they can improve partnerships to create more vitality to downtown Appleton, create more internship opportunities with local businesses and  build on what already exists.  Currently, Lawrence is trying to raise $5 million to reconstruct the Banta Bowl.  So far, they have raised $1 to $2 million.  They hope to start this project after the 2014 football season and have it completed by the beginning of the 2015 season.  They will be changing the way the field is laid out to support women's soccer and possibly collaborate with the school system.  The field will also change from a grass field to artificial turf in order to make it easier to play on.