Won't You Be My Neighbor? University Partnerships with Jamilah Ducar

In this episode, host Paul Kuttner talks with Dr. Jamilah Ducar, Associate Vice Chancellor for Engagement and Community Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, about what it means for a university to be a good partner with its surrounding community. They explore Pitt’s listening-first approach to partnership, strategies for building (and rebuilding trust), and the everyday work of centering relationships.

Jamie shares concrete examples of community development and educational partnerships, illustrating how universities can align faculty, staff, and operations to support neighborhoods. They also discuss the skills and organizational architecture needed for effective community engagement. And Jamie shares a bit about her journey into this work, from early family life, to the service industry, to human services, to higher ed. 

For more about the University of Pittsburgh's approach to community engagement visit https://www.community.pitt.edu/

To hear Jamie talking about her dissertation research, check out this video. 

Read The Community Engagement Professional in Higher Education and its companion the Community Engagement Professional's Guidebook:

————————

To subscribe to this podcast, visit https://partnershipwork.org or subscribe on your favorite podcasting platform.

Partnership Work is an independent podcast, produced with the support of Urban Media Arts in Malden, MA. Visit them at https://urbanmediaarts.org/

The music for this episode was Hazy Reflections from the NFL Music Library on APM Music.