Higher education has only recently discovered the independent sector as a critical social force requiring study, new knowledge, and education. Many non-profits have struggled to provide the basic programs and services central to their missions, while believing that they do not have the capacity to conduct the research and development needed to improve practice. With the increasing number of non-profits all over the world, there is a need for systems to be put in place to engage the two sides of the equation, higher education and the independent sector, to help insure that practice is informed by formal research and vice versa. For this connection to succeed, higher education can and must draw on its distinctive capacities for learning and adaptation in order to transform its relationship with society. And, the independent sector must commit to inform its work on behalf of society through the application of rigorous research and development.

Building on the Seminar’s long-term commitments to strengthening the independent sector and higher education, this session will examine the relationships between the two types of institutions and the roles they play in responding to the needs of the communities they serve. Their individual changing cultures and operating environments, as well as the common ground that they share, will be explored as a part of the examination of creative new approaches to working together toward the shared goal of contributing to the common good of society.

For more information, please contact admissions@salzburgseminar.org.