Next week, University Neighborhood Partners will open their new Hartland Partnership Center. UNP is a department within the U and has been around since 2001. The program connects the community with the university by providing resources and space for the two to come together. The new center allows for an expansion of this partnership by growing and improving facilities, said Teresa Molina, assistant director of UNP.
The new center brings the program from a 900-square-foot apartment complex to a 10,000-square-foot-area with computer labs, art rooms, lounges, a clinic and other spaces to further the program, said Abdi Mohamed, manager of the center.
The computer labs for adults and youth will be used for classes and as a resource to those who do not have access to computers. There is space for different youth programs, like sports, dance and art classes.
“With our art classes, we now have a better room with sinks to wash off and tables to create what the kids want to create,” Molina said. “There is space for U students to help the youth do homework.”
Mohamed is hopeful this new center will allow more students and faculty to come to this center and take advantage of it. Many students work at the center as an internship for their social work degrees, and professors can use the partnership to further their research. Molina said the clinic is available for nursing and physician assistant students to run free screenings for physical and mental health.
Because of its connection to the U, the center will be a place for learning.
“This is not a center that provides services,” Mohamed said. “It provides education. It is a way for residents, community organizations and the university to come together for a reciprocal learning experience. It’s not a bottom-up or top-down approach, because everyone can take something away.”
UNP started a goal to raise money for this new center in 2010 with the launch of a campaign for fewer than $1 million. They bought the property the following year across from their old center with a lead donation of $300,000 from Goldman Sachs. Construction began in 2012, and now the center is up and running.
Molina said this new facility is greatly needed because of the growth it has seen. With the new center, things can be done more effectively and with greater comfort, he said.
The center was made to facilitate growth on the west side and help connect professionals in this neighborhood. There is a strong community of international refugees and immigrants in this neighborhood, and Molina said they needed access to professionals at the U to develop professionals in their own neighborhoods.
“We cannot be a Pac-12 university without having a connection to our own community,” she said. “This is what it means to be a landmark university.”
As part of its name, the center is always open to create more partnerships. Molina said they are always open to different faculty needs for their research or more classes involved with community-engaged learning. While this is a new building, this is not a brand new program but rather an expanding continuation of partnerships, Molina said.
The building will be dedicated Tuesday.