UM-Flint, Kettering come together to discuss placemaking
Placemaking: The process of creating quality places that people want to live, work, play, and learn in.
On February 25, 2019, the University of Michigan – Flint and Kettering University discussed the role of universities in this process. LLE 2.0: The Power of People and Place is the latest installment in a series of community talks focused on the connection between liberal learning and entrepreneurial thinking.
Director of Neighborhood Services at Kettering University Tom Wyatt joined UM-Flint’s Interim Provost Dr. Sue Alcock for a discussion moderated by UM-Flint Student Government President Eucharia Ganda.
In his work, Wyatt collaborates with community partners like those in the University Avenue Corridor Coalition, which includes 70 community stakeholders from McLaren Flint on the West to UM-Flint on the East, Hurley Medical Center and Whaley Children’s Home on the North and the Flint River to the South.
Alcock pointed to the work of UM-Flint faculty and university-sponsored events as opportunities to leverage the university as a force for positivity in the community. One example is the Porch Project, a collaboration between a block association and Assistant Professor of Biology Rebecca Tonietto. In addition to beautifying homeowners’ yards, Tonietto is researching if gardens increase wild bee diversity.
As the interim provost, Alcock’s office is among the university units sponsoring Yo Yo Ma’s Day of Action in Flint, which takes place February 28, 2019. The day will include performances by Ma and the UM-Flint Jazz Combo.
LLE 2.0 is sponsored by the UM-Flint College of Arts & Sciences with support from university and community partners including University Outreach and the EDA University Center for Community and Economic Development.
