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10.17.19
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Sacramento State University and UC homelessness or polluted neighborDavis are 20 miles apart on the map. But hoods—have potential solutions that are they are worlds apart on their vision for a controversial and opposed by powerful 21st century university. And we are lucky vested interests. So this transformation to have both. will have its own challenges. But studying UC Davis is on the path to become one social problems in the abstract without of America’s finest research institutions. testing ideas in the real world is like And Sac State, under the inspired leaderdoing scientific research without any ship of President Robert Nelsen, is on the experiments. path to become an “anchor university.” Talking with Nelsen last week, he According to Nelsen, this is “the brought up some other points I hadn’t seen opposite of the ivory tower. It aims to in the task force report. Unlike UC Davis, connect its students, faculty and staff with where most students come from elsewhere the community ... achieving lasting and leave after graduating, most Sac solutions and improvements State students live here before through inclusive civic they enroll and will remain engagement.” here after graduation. You do not This is a tall order. The students have need to convince It requires a major experienced our a student who is rethinking of virtually housing problems, the whole Sac State our pollution issues, living in their car about educational experithe need for more the importance of ence. A recently arts and many other Sacramento developing released 82-page task issues worthy of force report presents study by an anchor more affordable the challenges and university. housing. opportunities of that Given that Sac State transformation. has one of the largest Internships need to be criminal justice departments established. New classes must be in the country, Nelsen believes that formed. Faculty members need to be the university should be more involved in evaluated less on their publishing and the ongoing community discussion of law teaching and more on their community enforcement practices. involvement. Community-oriented You do not need to convince a student research grants need to be obtained. And who is living in their car about the importhe larger Sacramento community needs to tance of Sacramento developing more connect with its university. affordable housing. Some of the needs and challenges idenFrom his appointment in July 2015, tified by the task force include: high K-12 Nelsen has been a force for change at absenteeism, polluted neighborhoods, Sac State, starting with a commitment to health disparities, rising homelessness and dramatically improve four-year graduation economic growth that does not include all rates. Sac State projects that 20.4% of communities. 2019 graduates completed their course These are thorny, difficult community work in four years, up from 8.8% in 2016. problems worthy of academic study. And Sacramento State should be combining educational theory with realSacramento’s University. Ω life practice is so much more satisfying than studying issues abstractly in an ivory tower. But involvement is also messy. Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority Theories do not always work in real owner of the News & Review. life. And many challenges—such as