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Our Work
Since 2023, NERLab has been working alongside local residents, guided by a central question: What are neighborly principles and practices for higher education community engagement, as defined by residents themselves?
Through research interviews and participation in community meetings and events, we’ve sought to understand resident-defined values and priorities. In response to what we’ve learned, we’re supporting community-driven initiatives and working to reimagine what it means for campuses to engage with their neighbors — as neighbors.
Our current collaborative projects and initiatives include:
New Publication
Shifting the Paradigm: Neighborliness as a Community-Identified Framework for Community-Campus Relations
By Carmine Perrotti with the NERLab
This inaugural report from the NERLab explores what it means for institutions of higher education to act as good neighbors, grounded in the perspectives of Providence residents. It introduces a community-identified framework of Principles and Practices for Neighborly Engagement, designed to help institutions reflect on and strengthen more equitable, reciprocal community-campus relationships.
Student Perceptions of Neighborliness
Residents in our inaugural study emphasized that students are neighbors, too. Responding to that, NERLab has developed a follow-up study exploring how students experience the surrounding neighborhoods and understand their role within community-campus relationships. Students will have the chance to participate in an anonymous survey, with potential to participate in a focus group. Findings from this work will add to existing resident perspectives and inform ongoing efforts to advance neighborly engagement across higher education
Access, Liability, and Neighborly Engagement
Residents in our inaugural study also highlighted how institutional policies and procedures can shape community access to campus resources and opportunities. In response, NERLab is developing a second follow-up study that will explore how policies related to liability, insurance, and risk management can facilitate or limit opportunities for neighborly engagement. This work will examine ways to reduce barriers and support more accessible, transparent, and community-centered engagement.
