{"id":4,"date":"2025-04-24T09:32:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T13:32:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/university-park-partnership-new\/?page_id=4"},"modified":"2026-02-27T15:56:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T20:56:07","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/university-park-partnership\/","title":{"rendered":"University Park Partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"height:4rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull section-intro abut-end has-light-warm-gray-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div style=\"background-image:url(&apos;https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/university-park-partnership-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/university-park-bench.jpg&apos;);background-position:28.000000000000004% 55.00000000000001%;background-size:cover;\" class=\"wp-block-group padded lifted has-white-background-color has-background wp-container-content-69bc4bdf is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:25.625rem\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group padded has-charcoal-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a0437ce173b5b36d929b5e9063813867 is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-national-model-for-neighborhood-revitalization\">A national model for neighborhood revitalization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"intro has-medium-font-size\">There are no fences here. In the Main South neighborhood of Worcester, Mass., a university and a community have traded barriers for partnership and collaboration. Today the nation looks to Clark University and Worcester\u2019s Main South residents to learn how university-community partnerships can transform declining urban neighborhoods into vibrant communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-partners-in-urban-development\">Partners in urban development<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Since 1985, Clark University has played a leadership role in the Main South community abutting its campus. That relationship was formalized in 1995 when Clark became a primary partner in the broad, grassroots collaboration called the University Park Partnership (UPP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This partnership connects Clark with neighborhood residents and organizations, local churches, government officials, the business community, and public schools. Together, these groups are organized around the Main South Community Development Corporation (CDC), the neighborhood\u2019s development organization and a key component of UPP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>UPP focuses on four major areas of urban redevelopment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Housing and physical rehabilitation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Education<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Economic development<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Social and recreational activities for neighborhood residents<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The University\u2019s interest in UPP is rooted in its responsibility to the neighborhood and also in its long-standing tradition of applying teaching and learning to real-world problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clark students and faculty conduct research with UPP organizations. They teach in neighborhood schools and serve as mentors to the children of Main South. In addition, many Clark faculty and staff \u2014 including Clark\u2019s president \u2014 have become neighborhood residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">    <a\n        class=\"clarku-block-card \"\n        href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/university-park-partnership\/neighborhood\/\"\n    >\n                    <div class=\"clarku-block-card-img-container\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                \t\tloading=\"lazy\"\n                    alt=\"aerial shot of main south\"\n                    class=\"clarku-block-card-img clarku-block-card-img-full\"\n                    src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/university-park-partnership-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2017-UPCS-21.jpg\"\n                \/>\n            <\/div>\n                            <div\n                class=\"clarku-block-card-content\"\n            >\n                \n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-main-south-development\">Main South development<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Tied to Worcester\u2019s industrial past, Main South has gone through significant changes over the years. Now a vibrant community, the neighborhood hosts family-owned restaurants, businesses, and affordable housing.<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n            <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">    <a\n        class=\"clarku-block-card \"\n        href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/university-park-partnership\/accomplishments-and-initiatives\/\"\n    >\n                    <div class=\"clarku-block-card-img-container\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                \t\tloading=\"lazy\"\n                    alt=\"kids running on track\"\n                    class=\"clarku-block-card-img clarku-block-card-img-full\"\n                    src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/university-park-partnership-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/accomplishments-block.jpg\"\n                \/>\n            <\/div>\n                            <div\n                class=\"clarku-block-card-content\"\n            >\n                \n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-accomplishments-and-initiatives\">Accomplishments and initiatives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>From athletic fields to affordable housing, Clark has worked with neighbors and the Main South Community Development Corporation to revitalize the surrounding area.<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n            <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-stretch is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">    <a\n        class=\"clarku-block-card \"\n        href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/university-park-partnership\/scholarships\/\"\n    >\n                    <div class=\"clarku-block-card-img-container\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\"\n                \t\tloading=\"lazy\"\n                    alt=\"students in classroom setting\"\n                    class=\"clarku-block-card-img clarku-block-card-img-full\"\n                    src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/university-park-partnership-new\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/partnership-scholarship-block.jpg\"\n                \/>\n            <\/div>\n                            <div\n                class=\"clarku-block-card-content\"\n            >\n                \n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-university-park-partnership-scholarships\">University Park Partnership Scholarships<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For more than two decades, Clark University has offered four-year, full-tuition scholarships to qualified University Park neighborhood residents.<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n            <\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore Clark University\u2019s University Park Partnership \u2014 strengthening Worcester\u2019s Main South through education, community development, and neighborhood engagement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":34,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-no-title","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>University Park Partnership | Clark University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore Clark University\u2019s University Park Partnership \u2014 strengthening Worcester\u2019s Main South through education, community development, and neighborhood engagement.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/university-park-partnership\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" 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