Cisneros asks U. official to discuss city problems

University officials are once again advising the Clinton administration on issues of vital importance to the nation. On the heels of President Clinton's campaign stop in Philadelphia, University officials are traveling to meet with top-level Washington housing officials. Ira Harkavy, director of the Center for Community Partnerships, will be in Washington today and tomorrow at the request of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros to participate in the department's City Symposium. "The Future of America's cities? and the Challenges Cities Face" will be the focus of the two-day, closed-door forum, according to a letter from Cisneros to symposium participants. Harkavy will participate in all four City Symposium sessions. Each session focuses on a different issue regarding problems cities face today. Cisneros asked Harkavy to be a "lead participant" in Thursday's session entitled "How Can Cities Rebuild Their Social and Civic Infrastructure?" "The University alone does not have the answers to this problem or the solution," Harkavy said, adding that schools have the motives and the resources to revitalize urban areas. He added that urban renewal has been a "major thrust" of University President Judith Rodin's administration and that colleges have much to gain from these efforts. "A positive off-campus environment helps add to the University community," Harkavy said. "And focusing on real problems, a la Ben Franklin, is a way to make real contributions to knowledge." Penn and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania wield "enormous" intellectual and economic resources which can be used to benefit the city, Harkavy said, noting that the University is Philadelphia's largest private and second-largest overall employer. He added that he intends to learn from the symposium as well as contribute to it. In addition to his participation in the conference, Harkavy recently served as a consultant to HUD's Office of University Partnerships Underassistant Secretary Michael Stegman. He also contributed to a Cisneros essay on Penn's role in solving the "Urban Question." According to Harkavy, large-scale city bureaucracies have a "flattening-out" effect on the energy and creativity of local residents. To improve the city's condition, Harkavy said government should influence universities to help lead community renewal efforts. Public monies could then be used to support universities involved in community work. "This is a real issue of how government can operate well and work to solve real problems," he said. Carol Scheman, vice president for government, community, and public affairs, said Harkavy's scholarship on the University's relations with the surrounding community makes him ideal for the forum. "I suspect that the people at the symposium will walk away with more than Ira will," Scheman said. On Tuesday, Scheman will be meeting with Stegman to discuss the University's specific efforts toward bettering the city.