A closer look at the parallels between two American cities that are home to academic institutions known for setting a national standard of community partnership
In 1967, my father’s family emigrated from Beirut Lebanon to Maine in pursuit of the American dream. My grandfather, an orphaned son of Armenian genocide survivors, was a skilled cobbler. Within a few months of landing in Maine, he was able to lease a building in the heart of Main Street in downtown Waterville where he established his first business: Simon’s Shoe Repair.
Corner of Temple and Main Street in Downtown Waterville, ME, circa 1960, the future home of Simon’s Shoe Repair (currently Happy Trails/Joe’s Smoke Shop)
As the son of an Armenian immigrant (father) and leader of the Franco American cultural preservation movement (mother) growing up in Waterville, Maine, I always had a deep appreciation and affinity for my hometown. It was clear to me that Waterville was a place of significance, aspiration and opportunity.
As a high school student, I DJ’d at the Colby radio station (WHMB, 89.7FM), attended lectures, exhibitions, commencements, concerts, and sports camps at Colby. These experiences helped me understand the important role Colby played in defining what made my hometown a place of true distinction.
In 1999, I graduated from Waterville Sr. High School and headed off to study at Clark University in the heart of one of America’s toughest neighborhoods, Main South in Worcester, Massachusetts.
As a student at Clark University in the early 00’s, I was cognizant of the reputation that plagued the institution. “Great school, rough neighborhood,” seemed to be the resounding chorus line anytime the University was mentioned. Worcester was synonymous with violence, prostitution, drugs and homelessness. Main South – the neighborhood in the middle of which Clark sits – is square in the epicenter. I remember the first time I ever rolled off the I-290 highway ramp in Worcester and pulled over to ask a police officer for directions to campus (yes, pre mobile GPS). His response? “Head straight down Main Street for about 1.5 miles through a really ghetto looking neighborhood until you see beautiful buildings, you’ll know when you get there.”
My experience at Clark University was intensely meaningful, and I was able to immerse myself not only in the Campus culture, but also in the surrounding community. Worcester was the earliest migration spot to America for the Armenian people in the late 1800’s, and Clark University was the first-ever institution to endow a chair of Armenian Genocide studies in 2001 during my Sophomore year. The following semester leading into my Junior year, I founded the Armenian Cultural Association.
Waterville, ME & Worcester, MA: Shared DNA
Waterville and Worcester share much more in common than one might detect upon first blush. Both cities have been shaped by similar forces over time. Beyond the obvious characteristics that come to mind immediately (grit, ingenuity, resourcefulness and integral role of immigrant populations, socially and economically), both cities enjoyed a shared golden era fueled by a thriving Downtown district and thousands of American pride-inducing manufacturing jobs.
Like many other American cities, Waterville and Worcester were severely plagued by post-industrialism, and with the advent of big box stores and outsourced manufacturing to Asia, difficult times fell upon Waterville and Worcester alike.
What sets these two cities apart from so many other great American communities is how they responded (and continue to respond) to these challenges. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Waterville, ME and Worcester, MA happen to be home to well-known academic institutions responsible for setting a high national bar for their community engagement investment models: Colby College and Clark University.
Colby’s latest investment in Downtown Waterville. Photo credit: Landry/French Construction (by Trent Bell)
Colby College Gives ‘All Ships Rise’ New Meaning
Equidistant between two of Maine’s largest cities (Portland and Bangor), Waterville is 20 minutes north of the State Capitol, Augusta. First inhabited by the Canibas tribe of the Wabanaki people, the land where Waterville was eventually built was an important trade stop along the Kennebec River throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Over the decades, Waterville evolved as a thriving metropolis, home to several prominent industrial, cultural and educational institutions.
Chartered in 1813 (when Maine was still part of Massachusetts) Colby is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the nation. Though over the past 200+ years, Colby has solidified a reputation as one of the top liberal arts institutions in the Country.
A great source of hometown pride in recent years has been observing the transformation of Waterville under Colby’s new leadership. While Colby has always been an integral component of Waterville’s economic development strategies (especially under the Bro Adams administration), President David Greene has taken that commitment to new heights. This includes launching an ambitious multi-prong program to revitalize Downtown Waterville by investing in a healthy mix of brick and mortar, civic engagement initiatives and the arts. A few highlights include:
Colby’s new 100,000-square-foot mixed-use retail and residential complex (pictured above) on Main Street in Downtown Waterville is the first college-owned residence downtown since Colby’s move to Mayflower Hill in the mid-20th century. The Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons houses 200 students, faculty, and staff, and is part of a broader revitalization effort undertaken by the College, city leaders, local business people, and community organizations. The goal of the investment is to revitalize Downtown through arts and culture. The ultimate driving objective is to deepen the connection between the Colby community and broader Waterville community.
Construction is currently underway for a new 43,000 sq. foot 53 room luxury hotel in the heart of Downtown Waterville. The total project cost is anticipated to be $26 million, making Colby’s total investment in downtown Waterville more than $75 million. Between current downtown projects and those planned for the near future, the total investment (with funding from multiple sources) is expected to total $100 million. “The scale, pace, and comprehensive nature of this revitalization effort, of which the hotel is a critical component, is bringing to life the vision for Waterville’s downtown that the city’s business, nonprofit, and civic leaders outlined just a few years back,” said Colby President David A. Greene in a recently published press release. “We are already seeing positive signs of growth, and this beautiful, modern hotel and Maine-inspired restaurant will attract visitors and area residents, bringing additional activity and economic impact. By naming it The Lockwood, we are honoring Waterville’s deep history in the textile industry and the city’s tradition of innovation and reinvention.”
Colby fully understands that investing in the arts is a tried and true mechanism to galvanize a local economy. In partnership with Waterville Creates! and thanks to a generous gift from Colby alum, Paul J. Schupf, the new Art Center will be at the heart of downtown activity. “This project will strengthen the arts and cultural institutions that have enriched our community for decades and have a tremendous economic impact on the city,” said Shannon Haines, president and CEO of Waterville Creates! “By bringing a diverse mix of arts programming together in one beautiful, modern facility, we will enliven downtown during the day and in the evening hours as well. We are so thankful for Mr. Schupf’s investment in Waterville’s future” (Colby, April, 2019).
Most recently, Colby announced plans to build on Waterville’s momentum as a dynamic destination for arts and culture. Thanks to a $3-million gift from Peter and Paula Lunder, a new Arts Collaborative in the heart of Downtown will focus on bolstering economic and creative activity by providing new studio space, programming and opportunities.
To help quantify the impact of its investments, Colby recently released an Economic Impact Report that detailed the extent to which the institution has helped to fuel the local, state, and regional economy. While the numbers are impressive ($1.5-billion invested in Maine and $173-million in Waterville directly), the most notable takeaway from the report is the significant impact on the more difficult to measure areas including labor force demographics, tax base implications, economic partnerships and, perhaps most importantly, pride in sense of place.
Clark University Injects Positive Change into Main South, Worcester
Worcester’s roots date to the Revolutionary War and is today the second-largest city in New England. Home to 11 colleges and universities, the city has evolved into a cultural hub and home to modern day revolutions in biotech, higher education, health care and the arts. Worcester is a surprisingly tight-knit community comprised of neighborhoods that have welcomed a multitude of immigrants dating back to the Yankee settlers and continuing with the arrival of Armenian, Irish, French-Canadian, Vietnamese, Brazilian, Dominican, Ghanaian, as well as many others. Collectively, these cultures are what gives Worcester its distinct personality.
Perhaps best known for hosting a scholarly conference in 1909 that catapulted the research and theories of Sigmund Freud, the small liberal arts college Clark University has a reputation for challenging convention and changing our world.
As a student, I was not fully-aware that leadership at Clark University was already hard at work behind the scenes devising long-term strategies to not only invest in the surrounding community, but to do so with an eye towards long-term improvements. Over the last 30 years, a few key evidence points worth noting that support this assertion include:
A collaboration between Clark University, Worcester Public Schools, and University Park Program (UPP), University Park Campus School (USPC) focuses its efforts on bringing seventh and eighth graders up to grade level in math, reading, and writing while developing analytical thinking skills. All classes at the high school level are honors courses, and few electives are offered at UPCS; juniors and seniors can take free classes at Clark that meet their special interests. Student dropout and mobility rates are almost zero, and nearly all UPCS graduates attend college. To achieve this level of success, Clark provides numerous on-campus experiences for UPCS students and professional development opportunities for teachers. The school also serves as a learning laboratory for education majors at Clark.
Designed as a bridge to promote community engagement, Clark’s new $32-Million Alumni and Student Engagement Center sits on the cusp of campus and on the opposite side of Main Street. Clark’s newest building is also home to university offices that coordinate resources and services for neighbors, faculty, students, and alumni, intentionally designed to improve quality of life for all residents of the Main South neighborhood. The center represents the latest aspect of an evolving relationship between the university and the community, which has gone from addressing town-gown issues to forming a community development corporation and establishing an ongoing partnership promoting revitalization efforts that benefit both Clark and Main South.
Among the University Park Partnership’s most ambitious initiatives is the Gardner-Kilby-Hammond Street Revitalization Project. This $40-million investment included approximately 60 new affordable homeownership opportunities and a new $8-million Boys & Girls Club, which has helped to transform this underrepresented neighborhood back into a thriving community (the Club --which serves up to 5,000 young people -- includes a gymnasium, learning center, and Olympic-size swimming pool). This partnership serves to strengthen Clark’s connection to the community while providing local youth educational and recreational programming opportunities throughout the year. Examples include
A free summer recreation program for local youth, staffed by the Clark community;
A free music program available for local youth, staffed by Clark faculty and students;
Clark welcoming neighborhood residents use of the Goddard Library and Kneller Athletic Center.
Today, Main South still has its own challenges and negative myths to dispel, however there has been undeniable progress and improvements as a result from Clark University’s commitment to bettering itself by way of investing in the surrounding community.
In conclusion
There is no minimizing the fact that both Waterville and Worcester face a myriad of inherent challenges, even as they put forth their best efforts to define themselves as vibrant, revitalized American cities once again. There will always be some degree of friction between local community vs. institutional interests, however when the common denominator is undeniably positive and in best interest of both, communities and institutions can not only coexist, but thrive. For different reasons and in different ways, both Colby and Clark have faced the ‘town-gown’ stigma square on and addressed these tensions by inviting key stakeholders to the table for a two-sided conversation. Through this dialog, they were able to develop an action plan that would ultimately serve to their mutual benefit. Colby College and Clark University present a noteworthy case-study predicated on building trust and investing in a community engagement model that actually works.
Citations:
Accomplishments and Initiatives. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.clarku.edu/university-park-partnership/accomplishments-and-initiatives/
Cadorette, T. (2018, September 24). Colby College helps transform downtown Waterville. Retrieved from https://www.wmtw.com/article/colby-college-helps-transform-downtown-waterville/23429559
Colby College Prepares to Build Downtown Hotel: The Lockwood Hotel. (2019, June 4). Retrieved from http://www.colby.edu/news/2019/06/04/colby-college-prepares-to-build-downtown-hotel-the-lockwood-hotel/
Colby Opens Mixed-Use Residential and Retail Facility on Main Street in Downtown Waterville. (2018, August 27). Retrieved from http://www.colby.edu/news/2018/08/27/colby-opens-mixed-use-residential-and-retail-facility-on-main-street-in-downtown-waterville/
Milliken, M. (2018, April 2). Colby College: Downtown Waterville investment 'already paying off'. Retrieved from https://www.mainebiz.biz/article/colby-college-downtown-waterville-investment-already-paying-off
Schmalz, J. (2019, September 11). A College Gives Back to the Town That Once Saved It. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/A-College-Gives-Back-to-the/247107
Shur, B. (2019, February 19). Like a Boss: Read the interview with David Greene, president of Colby College. Retrieved from https://www.pressherald.com/2019/02/19/like-a-boss-read-the-interview-with-david-greene-president-of-colby-college/