John L. Puckett

An Implementation Revolution as a Strategy for Fulfilling the Democratic Promise of University-Community Partnerships: Penn-West Philadelphia as an Experiment in Progress:

In this article, the authors argue that the academic-practitioner divide is largely a product of the Platonic false dualism between “superior” pure theory and “inferior” applied practice. The authors call for a Dewey-inspired implementation revolution to build local democratic neighborly communities as a means for advancing academic-practitioner collaboration, fulfilling America’s democratic promise, and overcoming the influence of Plato’s aristocratic philosophy on American higher education. The authors describe the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Community Partnerships’work with public schools as an experiment in progress designed to advance academic-practitioner collaboration and a “democratic devolution revolution.” Academically based community service learning and research and communal participatory action research are highlighted as particularly useful approaches for improving scholarship and communities and forging democratic, mutually beneficial, and mutually respectful university-school-community partnerships.

Communal Participatory Action Research as a Strategy for Improving Universities and the Social Sciences: Penn's Work with the West Philadelphia Improvement Corps as a Case Study

As the 20th century closes, a key question is: What can the social sciences do to help solve the problems of our society and world? The authors identify the principal causes of the crisis in the university and the social sciences to be intellectual fragmentation and a structural contradiction that is built into the American research university. They then propose a radical reorientation of American universities toward helping solve real-world problems—particularly those in a universitys local community. The authors suggest that such an orientation can be achieved through communal participatory action research projects designed to help change society. This research strategy, they argue, will significantly advance both general knowledge and human welfare. The article explores, in detail, a communal participatory action research project initiated at the University of Pennsylvania and draws conclusions from this case study that might be applied in other research projects.

Martin Meyerson’s Dream of “One University” The Penn Presidency 1970-81, and Beyond

As president of the University of Pennsylvania, Martin Meyerson (1922–2007) championed the idea of “One University,” a concept that projected an intellectually integrated and respectfully diverse research university. In September 1970, when Meyerson assumed the presidency, he found Penn at a critical juncture. “Franklins University” roiled with serious financial and relational problems, some inherited from his predecessor, Gaylord Harnwell, many of them emanating from accelerating trends in the larger society, such as a downward spiraling economy, an escalating urban crisis and heightened racial tensions, and a youth culture that was increasingly self-referential in its lack of political concerns. The era of Penns great expansion was over; yet while physical growth had been successfully accomplished, there was little integration of the departmental, disciplinary, and student activities housed in the new or renovated buildings, and the historic core of the campus remained without a landscape design. Meyersons embrace of “One University” promised to remedy such academic fragmentation and factionalism, which in his judgment impeded Penns advance into the pantheon of the worlds leading research universities. This essay looks look closely at Meyersons handling of these crises, his juggling of the various tensions involved, his administrations design for the beautification of Penns campus, and in the final analysis, the enduring strengths and significant limitations of his program to achieve “One University”.

Martin Meyerson’s Dream of “One University”

As president of the University of Pennsylvania, Martin Meyerson (1922–2007) championed the idea of “One University,” a concept that projected an intellectually integrated and respectfully diverse research university. In September 1970, when Meyerson assumed the presidency, he found Penn at a critical juncture. “Franklins University” roiled with serious financial and relational problems, some inherited from his predecessor, Gaylord Harnwell, many of them emanating from accelerating trends in the larger society, such as a downward spiraling economy, an escalating urban crisis and heightened racial tensions, and a youth culture that was increasingly self-referential in its lack of political concerns. The era of Penns great expansion was over; yet while physical growth had been successfully accomplished, there was little integration of the departmental, disciplinary, and student activities housed in the new or renovated buildings, and the historic core of the campus remained without a landscape design. Meyersons embrace of “One University” promised to remedy such academic fragmentation and factionalism, which in his judgment impeded Penns advance into the pantheon of the worlds leading research universities. This essay looks look closely at Meyersons handling of these crises, his juggling of the various tensions involved, his administrations design for the beautification of Penns campus, and in the final analysis, the enduring strengths and significant limitations of his program to achieve “One University”.