The objective of this project is to create a long-term partnership among colleges and universities to address economic revitalization in the Mohawk Valley (extending from Utica to the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metropolitan region).  This partnership will identify workable strategies that can be implemented to further economic and community development in the region, ones that maximize the contributions by educational institutions. 

The Mohawk Valley includes a diverse set of economic conditions, ranging from communities that have experienced industrial plant closings (e.g., Schenectady, Utica, Amsterdam) to those that have shared in the expansion of the service economy (e.g., Albany), and from agricultural districts with declining population to suburban/exurban zones experiencing rapid growth.  Specific pockets of rural and urban poverty, neighborhoods with concentrated minority and immigrant populations, and populations with high public service needs are found throughout the region.

The many colleges and universities in the region contribute to the economy in important ways, including training, business and technology incubators, and programs of research and action specifically targeted to the needs of local communities.  The regional partnership will intensify these efforts through steps to:
 

• Inventory current economic and community development related activities taking place at educational institutions in the region and give them greater visibility in each institution
• Study models of college-community economic and community revitalization initiatives in other regions
• Review and publicize current policy-relevant research activities in the region
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive and easily accessible database on population and economic trends and on major public initiatives in the region
• Exchange information and strategies among educational institutions
• Analyze the particular contributions that can be made by each type of institution  (comprehensive community colleges, public and private colleges/universities) and strengthen mechanisms for cooperation among them
• Identify practical and workable models utilizing the resources found at institutions of higher education that can be considered by public officials, civic leaders, businesses and community organizations to strengthen the region’s economy.