Lina Dostilio named first research fellow for Coalition for Urban and Metropolitan Universities

Dostilio in a royal blue blazer

Lina Dostilio, associate vice chancellor for community engagement, has been named the first research fellow for the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. During a five-month appointment, Dostilio will work to establish a cross-city research agenda on the effects of hyper-local engagement on community capacity. Over the course of the fellowship, she will work to create a space for dialogue and collaboration on data, instruments, policy and strategies.

“This project is interested in how universities honor the existing capacities of the communities they engage and how hyper-local efforts may influence those capacities over time. Examples of the kinds of capacity we are exploring are community readiness for change, civic engagement and social connectedness, among others,” Dostilio said.

“There’s never been a more important time for institutions to be authentic about their responsibility and capacity for place-based engagement and service. Lina’s scholarship on hyper-local engagement will help to define CUMU’s research agenda and move this important work forward,” said Bobbie Laur, CUMU executive director.