Lehman affirms CU's N.Y. ties at economic summit in Liberty

LIBERTY, N.Y. -- Cornell President Jeffrey Lehman emphasized Cornell's commitment to community engagement May 8 during an address at the CableVision Industries (CVI) headquarters in Liberty. The event highlighted and celebrated the work of the Liberty Economic Action Project, a partnership between Cornell and the people of Liberty.

"Cornell faculty and students carry out research with global significance and reach, but New York state remains the epicenter of our concern and impact," Lehman said, addressing an audience of about 150 people. "A strong university and strong regional communities go hand in hand."

Since September 2003, more than 100 community leaders, business owners, community organizations and residents of all ages have been working with Cornell faculty, students and staff members from the Department of City and Regional Planning. Following data collection and a "visioning" workshop in Liberty in fall 2003, they have organized themselves into five teams to: 1) create a community development corporation; 2) build a skate and bike park; 3) rehabilitate housing for low- and moderate-income residents; 4) start a youth employment and training program; and 5) develop a long-range economic development strategy.

Cornell President Jeffrey Lehman, left, and Alan Gerry, founder of CVI and the Gerry Foundation, show off their new skateboards at the Liberty Economic Development Summit in Liberty, N.Y. Sara Hernandez

"This project has been extremely successful in bringing together all of the key players we need to make economic development happen and has brought new faces and voices into the process," said Frank DeMayo, supervisor for the town of Liberty. DeMayo used a football analogy in his comments Saturday to describe the history of community development efforts in Liberty and how the involvement of Cornell has helped them "move the ball across the 50-yard line," into new territory. "There is a definite feeling that things are moving forward and getting better. Liberty is a very exciting place to be right now," he said.

Following a welcome by Liberty Mayor William "Rube" Smith and Kenneth Reardon, Cornell professor of city and regional planning, each team summarized its work thus far and discussed goals for the upcoming months. Introduced to the audience by Porus Olpadwala, dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, Lehman said in his address that part of the genius of Cornell's 19th-century founders was that they "appreciated the need to combine theoretical and applied knowledge to solve problems of the real world. Cornell faculty members and students have been doing that ever since. It is a powerful combination."

Alan Gerry, founder of CVI and the Gerry Foundation, expressed his appreciation for the hard work being done by community members and described how Cornell's involvement was helping Liberty achieve its dreams. He closed by stating that the Gerry Foundation would be supporting the Liberty Economic Action Project -- and Cornell's participation in it -- for a second year.

"University-community partnerships are receiving increasing scholarly and popular attention," explained Reardon. "Our work in Liberty exemplifies a movement within universities, including Cornell, to re-engage faculty and students with the real-world challenges facing our communities. But rather than approach these challenges in the 'top-down' ways that have proven unsuccessful, we are using a 'bottom-up, bottom-sideways' model that involves local leaders and residents in designing and implementing community change. We are excited to be working in Liberty. They are on their way to great things."

Members of a youth group promoting the skate and bike park presented both Lehman and Gerry with tie-dyed shirts and skateboards. The T-shirts bore the motto: "With Liberty and Skateboards for All."

"I promise I will wear the T-shirt whenever I ride the skateboard," Lehman said.

The Liberty Economic Action Project has been the focus of two community planning workshops in the Department of City and Regional Planning during the 2003-04 academic year, involving over 30 undergraduate and graduate-level students from across the campus. Through an inclusive, hands-on, action-oriented process, students are working with community members to craft a vision for Liberty's future, develop long-term economic development strategies and implement community action projects to make their vision a reality. The project is underwritten by the Gerry Foundation.