The Hennepin-University Partnership, a program of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, is accepting applications for the HUP Collaborative Research Assistantship (HCRA). The HCRA provides paid summer positions for six graduate research assistants to conduct applied research with Hennepin County, while partaking in learning opportunities as a part of a multidisciplinary cohort. This program is a unique opportunity to work with an innovative, nationally-regarded local government on research that addresses complex social challenges. Graduate students from any school or department who are interested in engaged research or careers in…

It is with great excitement that we introduce Amy Delahanty as the next director of the Hennepin-University Partnership (HUP). Amy brings extensive experience in cross-sector collaboration and higher education, most recently as the Chief of Staff for the National Center for Principled Leadership and Research Ethics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

Amy will start on November 6, at which point the current HUP…

The Blue Line Extension Anti-displacement Executive Summary is now available! The Blue Line Extension has been in the works for over a decade. For at least that long, corridor communities have been challenging governments and private sector actors to be considerate of the local population to ensure that they are not displaced as a result of development. In response to these concerns and to ensure the Blue Line Extension transit investment benefits current corridor residents and businesses, Hennepin County and the Metropolitan Council initiated an anti displacement initiative and contracted with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) to work with…

The Hennepin-University Partnership (HUP) graduate assistants will work with the Program Director on a variety of tasks related to the mission of HUP. HUP represents an innovative model of collaboration between local government and academia. The goal of HUP is to produce shared value for both the University of Minnesota and Hennepin County around areas of mutual interest. This is achieved through the promotion of joint community-based research, the sharing of academic and practitioner expertise, and providing students with real-world experience. HUP does not actively conduct research, but we catalyze, support, evaluate, and communicate collaborative…

Last Friday, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced the formation of a 41-Member Rent Stabilization Stakeholder Group. The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) has been selected to convene this group with CURA Director Edward Goetz and CURA Director of Community Based Research C Terrence Anderson acting as lead facilitators. The group will meet February through May to consider improvements and enhancements to rent stabilization in St. Paul. A final report will be completed by this summer. The rent stabilization ballot measure was approved by voters 53% to 47% in the election last November.

Many 911 systems in the United States use older technologies that struggle to account for the diverse ways of communicating during an emergency or disaster, and dispatchers taking calls must make rapid decisions based on limited information. While newer technology can identify callers’ locations, there is an opportunity to explore how technology can assist in determining the reason for the call and suggesting appropriate responses.

Given this opportunity, HUP recently coordinated a connection between Hennepin County and Professors Tom Fisher (College of…

The Hennepin-University Partnership's (HUP) project to connect the Hennepin County Elections Division with University of Minnesota student volunteers to process absentee ballots has been recognized with an Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties (NACo). The award honors innovative, effective county government programs that strengthen services for residents. 

For this partnership in the 2016 general and 2018 midterm elections, a total of 600 students provided 3,000 hours of volunteer effort. Mark Chapin, the Director over the Elections Division, praised the partnership. “Without the hundreds of student volunteers helping to process and count absentee ballots…