In 2000, Notre Dame responded to the deterioration of the surrounding neighborhood by collaborating with other local institutions to fund a redevelopment plan. Twenty years and millions of dollars later, a new commercial district in South Bend’s Northeast neighborhood boasts two new hotels, chain stores, restaurants and over 900 new apartments and town homes.
Lindsay said Taylor is one of a small but growing number of universities committed to partnering with and revitalizing their local communities. He pointed to Sewanee University in Sewanee, Tennessee; Colby College in Waterville, Maine; and Colgate University in Colgate, New York, as other examples.
“We believe Taylor and Upland have the potential to become a national model for how a small university with an engaged community can work together for significant economic and community development,” said Lindsay. Recalling Jeremiah 29, Lindsay added that the university’s Christian faith compels it to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which you have been carried … because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Religion News Service receives funding from Lilly Endowment through the Religion News Foundation.
This article originally appeared here.
