The University's "Third Mission": Exploring the Potential of University Campuses in Interaction with Urban Communities

 Introduction

In the world practice of university education for a long time there was a traditional idea of the university as a center of education, science.

The modern university expands the boundaries of educational and scientific projects and actively implements the "third mission", becoming involved in the social and cultural life of society ^[1-4]. As the researchers note, the social function arises as a need of the university, not a duty ^[5]. As the experience of European universities shows, the implementation of the social function can be useful for universities (social partnership in the process of learning and research activities, building trust in the university) and students (the possibility of applying the acquired academic knowledge outside the university, acquiring new competencies, in general, the development of personality as an active citizen).

The need for renewal and development leads universities to search for new strategies and technologies for integration with various local (urban, regional) communities ^[6-8]. Universities are integrated into various types of communities and become "an integral part of local, national and global social systems, forming part of what is commonly called society" ^{[9, p. 104]}.

The existence of a university on the territory of a region, a city is a prospect of lifelong learning and increasing the level of human capital ^[10], a resource for the development of the territories of the city / region (social infrastructure facilities of universities and public spaces used by citizens, the number of people involved in volunteer and social projects based on the university, etc.)^{[1] [11]}; the presence of a large university is a necessary condition for the development of the creative economy of the city/region ^{[12, 13]}. In this aspect, the resources of university campuses are important and in demand. On the territory of university campuses there is a complex of buildings for the needs of the educational process, including libraries, laboratories, there is a sports infrastructure, catering points and other social infrastructure facilities that may be in demand by citizens ^[14].

The idea of an "academic village", originally embodied on the campuses of American universities, is also being implemented in the Russian higher education system. The construction of university campuses will make it possible to effectively implement the tasks set within the framework of the Priority 2030 project. So, at present, a significant number of campus-type universities have appeared in Russia: the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Innopolis University, NUST MISIS, the Far Eastern Federal University on Russian Island, etc., but at the same time, the territories of universities are often inaccessible to citizens, which limits their opportunities for providing educational, cultural-educational services and implementation of projects involving the population ^[15]. According to the researchers, the complexity of the implementation of the "third mission" by the university, on the one hand, may be related to the need to create regulatory, managerial and motivational mechanisms of interaction between the university and the city, and on the other - with a change in attitude to public and social events as educational.

The priority is the concept of an open distributed campus, integrated into urban and regional life and development. In this regard, the experience of foreign and Russian universities is interesting. At the University of Navarre (Spain) there is a clinic that provides medical services not only to students and staff, but also to residents of the city. In the museum, theater, library, sports complex, educational, cultural, sports programs for residents of the city are conducted on a permanent basis. The Vienna University of Economics and Business (Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria) has implemented the concept of "Walking along the Park". On the territory there are places for learning and research, active recreation. On the lower floors of the academic buildings there are social infrastructure facilities accessible to all citizens (cafes, bakeries, bookstores, auditoriums, coworking, etc.). The HSE is successfully implementing the project "University open to the City", interacting with citizens not only on its territory (lectures and scientific seminars, documentary film lovers club, etc.). etc.), but also at various city venues (lecture halls in Moscow museums, parks, the project "Academy of Schoolchildren", etc.). The Moscow Polytechnic University on a regular basis conducts popular science, educational events for citizens (free courses on 3D modeling and transport design of the environment, summer schools for children, educational courses for older people, scientific festivals, film screenings, etc.).

The analysis of the nature of the university's interaction with the citizens, conducted by the Department of Development Programs and Analytical Activities of the GAOU in the MSPU (hereinafter – MSPU), shows that the main directions are: various kinds of educational programs, courses, master classes; scientific and practical conferences; internship sites for training in a specific subject area (foreign language, biology and programs and special courses on meta-subject skills and competencies (for example, the course "Culture of business communication"); provision of special infrastructure for citizens (special offices, halls, museums, etc.); participation in joint projects (for example, the project "Young Ecologists of Moscow"). Are these formats of interaction between the university and the city sufficient, necessary, and relevant? What are the prospects for interaction between university campuses and urban communities in Moscow? In connection with this research issue, it becomes important to search and develop effective formats for university interaction with urban communities.

The purpose of the study is to identify the potential needs of urban communities and the nature of the involvement of students, teachers and administrative staff in the activities of urban communities and the possibilities of interaction between university campuses and city communities.

Research hypothesis: the possibilities of interaction between university campuses and city communities consist in the active use of its infrastructural, social, educational, volunteer resources.

The main questions that we will try to answer in the course of the study are: What are the main predictors of people joining urban communities? What are the potential needs of urban communities? What is the role of the university in the development and/or support of urban communities? What are the opportunities for university campuses to interact with the city's communities?

Organization and methods of researchIn order to study urban communities and determine the directions of interaction with them, we analyzed a number of studies on this issue^{[2] [16, 17]} and formulated a working definition of an urban community as an informal association of citizens aimed at jointly solving problems arising in the process of life in the city (neighborly communities, community of residents of the house, volunteering, charity, eco-communities, student communities, parent communities, etc.).

As a basis for the description of urban communities, we used the classification compiled during the analysis of foreign and domestic studies on the problem of urban communities: communities planned through management technologies; communities of interest; subcultures (mainly youth communities); communities of social or urban problems; communities of distanced sympathy (volunteering, charity); eco-communities; parent communities; student communities; professional communities.

To study the potential of university campuses in meeting the needs of urban communities, we used the following methods: a survey, a focus group interview with elements of brainstorming.

The purpose of the survey: to identify the main predictors of people joining urban communities and the potential needs of urban communities; to determine the possibilities of interaction between university campuses and city communities.

To develop the questionnaire, we identified a pool of key substantive questions for the study of involvement in urban communities and the reasons for joining communities, community deficits, possible formats of interaction with the university.

Diagnostic tools have been developed taking into account the main groups of criteria defining urban communities:

dispositional – a group of indicators that allow you to assess the interests, values, goals, motives for joining the urban community;

 communicative – a group of indicators that determine the nature of interpersonal, intergroup relationships within urban communities;

praxeological – indicators reflecting the prevalence of unifying practices of urban communities;

infrastructural – a group of indicators that determine the availability of material objects for the development of urban communities;

cognitive – indicators reflecting the subject's awareness of the content of consolidation processes;

information technology – indicators that allow us to study the influence of the digitalization factor on the process of creating and developing urban communities;

behavioral – the nature and direction of the activities of urban communities, the ability to take responsibility in the area of their interests, initiative, the ability to take responsibility for their own and common cause;

emotional-evaluative – emotional connections and contacts that unite community members ^[18].

The study involved 528 respondents, including representatives of various urban communities of Moscow – 170 people (aged 20 to 70 years); bachelors, undergraduates, postgraduates, university faculty, administrative and managerial staff and researchers of the Moscow State Pedagogical University - 358 people (most of the sample consisted of bachelors and undergraduates, i.e. e. young adults under the age of 25 (71% of the total number of respondents). For the convenience of subsequent analysis and identification of specific features, two groups were identified in the sample of university representatives: "Administration, teachers, researchers" and "Students" (this group included students at different levels of higher education: "Bachelor's degree", "Master's Degree", "Postgraduate", such an association is due to a small number of undergraduates and graduate students who participated in the survey).

To study the directions of the university's interaction with urban communities, a series of focus groups were conducted with initiative groups of teachers of the University of Moscow State Pedagogical University.

The purpose of focus groups: to identify predictors of joining a particular community (external or internal (university), to explore "ways out" to urban communities; to determine the possibilities of interaction between university campuses and city communities.

Research results and their discussionThe main activities of the Moscow City Pedagogical University in terms of the implementation of the "third mission", which involves a contribution to the social development of the city, are defined in the university's development strategy and reflected in projects for citizens: "Institute – center of educational and educational attraction", "Promising urban research", "Urban hub of additional Education".

There are 12 educational institutes in the structure of MSPU, 9 of them train students at different levels of higher education (bachelor's, master's, etc.). The Institute of Natural Science and Sports Technologies (IEiST), the Institute of Digital Education (ITSO) and the Institute of Special Education and Psychology (ISOP) have several academic buildings to their credit located in close proximity to each other, which allows us to talk about the presence of university campuses. The study of the potential of the campuses of the university's educational institutions in meeting the needs of urban communities was conducted on the basis of the structural divisions of the university (ICO, IEiST, ISOP). Each of these institutes has a specific profile of student training and activities, which may be in focus when building interaction with urban communities.

Despite the existing interaction of the university with the population of Moscow, it is important to identify new opportunities and resources for the implementation of the "third mission" of the university.

Let's turn to the data obtained during the survey.

Within the studied group, only a small part of respondents are involved in the activities of various kinds of urban communities (17% of the total number of responses). A similar pattern is observed in the responses to the question about interaction with communities as a representative of the university. The sample as a whole revealed 15% of teachers and students involved in community activities in connection with their professional or educational activities.

Most of the respondents are members of professional communities, Internet communities, neighborhood communities and volunteer communities (Fig. 1). At the same time, there are very slight differences in these indicators depending on the nature of involvement in them (as a representative of the university). There is a slight predominance of participation in the community as a representative of the university in the following positions: professional community, community of volunteers, community of healthy lifestyle and parent community. This advantage is quite understandable by the specifics of university activities.

Fig.1. Involvement of the studied sample in various urban communities (data on the sample as a whole)

In the "Administration, teachers, researchers" group, 38% of the respondents actively participate in community activities (including as representatives of the university). Data from a focus group interview with initiative groups of teachers of the MSPU institutes showed that interaction with informal urban communities is carried out with parent communities (for example, consultations and professional support for parents raising children with disabilities) support and consultations of sports communities, etc. In the "Students" group, 10% of respondents belong to urban communities. At the same time, the majority of respondents from the "Students" group are not involved in informal urban communities as representatives of the university (93% of the total number of respondents in this group).

This may indicate a low involvement of this age group in urban communities and low social activity. In this regard, when building interaction between university campuses, it is important to take into account the revealed fact and use various formats of interaction between bachelors and undergraduates with urban communities. For example, in terms of determining the content of students' practice, when students can organize master classes, lectures on topics of interest for parent communities, healthy lifestyle communities, etc.

Fig. 2. The specifics of the involvement of respondents of the groups "Administration, teachers, researchers" and "Students" in urban communities

As can be seen from Figure 2, in the selected groups, involvement in certain types of communities is largely due to age and specifics of activity. Thus, in the group "Administration, teachers, researchers", the majority of respondents are members of professional communities (34% of the total number of responses). Informal professional communities bring together specialists who are ready to share their ideas and experience. The exchange of experience and practices becomes a powerful impetus for the creation of new joint projects and initiatives in the community of professionals who support each other, motivate each other to further activities, which becomes especially important in "turbulent" times and is the prevention of professional burnout. The attractiveness of such informal professional communities for the majority of their participants lies in the prevalence of "horizontal ties", when the participants themselves define significant goals and objectives. Informal professional communities are becoming a new form of mutual learning. In a community of this type, an informal request is integrated with their own activity of community members, with an emphasis on solving specific problems ^{[19, 20]}. Professional learning communities can unite specialists and teachers from different institutes of the Moscow State Pedagogical University who are interested in similar issues. Thus, an informal professional learning community is formed within the university. The algorithm and mechanisms for creating professional learning communities are presented in the works of L.V. Bychkova, I.A. Vinogradova, E.V. Ivanova, A.N. Ioffe, V.K. Markova ^[21].

Among young adults, it is preferable to join the community of volunteers and various online communities (26% and 25% of the total number of responses, respectively) (Fig. 3). It should be noted that the attractiveness of volunteer communities among bachelors may be associated with the purposeful activity of the university to involve students in various projects of a similar orientation (accompanying people with disabilities and other categories in museums, at mass events; volunteer work of students at the request of organizations during practice and summer holidays (for example, in social assistance centers for families and children)).

Fig. 3. Reasons for joining the community

The main reasons for involvement in the activities of communities in the studied group are: cognitive (getting new information – 20%), behavioral (solving important issues for me – 20%); dispositional (motivation for specific activities – 17%), communicative (interesting to communicate – 15%).

According to teachers and students, the resources of MSPU can be useful to the communities in which they are involved (75% of the total number of respondents). Knowing the resources of the university, the survey participants believe that the university can implement educational programs of various orientation for different age categories of citizens, which corresponds to the specifics of the university (Fig. 4). This trend was clearly observed during a series of brainstorming sessions organized with the participation of teachers of ITSO, ISOP and IEIST. Most of the participants of the meetings support this particular area of interaction with urban communities, while it is important to understand the use of interactive interaction formats (master classes, interactive short-term educational programs), taking into account the actual needs and requests of citizens. This pattern is clearly seen when comparing data received from representatives of urban communities (Fig. 4). The main requests are focused on the provision of educational, infrastructural and consulting resources from the university.

Fig. 4. Requests of urban communities regarding interaction with the university

At the same time, the participants of the meetings and the study emphasize the need to "get rid" of the stereotypical idea among citizens about the limited range of educational courses for teachers and students that teachers and students of MSPU can offer. As educational proposals, we can mention courses on functional literacy for citizens of different age groups, "soft skills", theatrical skills, etc.

When organizing educational courses, it is important to take into account the needs of modern students: prioritization of short-term courses of low labor intensity, shifting the focus to cross-contextual and existential skills used throughout life in various life contexts (teamwork skills, time management, the ability to set goals, achieve them, etc.) ^[22].

Professional support and assistance of volunteers (in this context, the active participation of students is assumed) also, according to the studied group, they will be relevant for informal communities of citizens. In matters of professional support, university teachers go beyond the city of Moscow and actively interact with various organizations and communities located in Russia and abroad.

The options for mutually beneficial cooperation were indicated: not only the university provides resources, but the urban community. Such mutual exchange leads to the strengthening of ties with the community and somewhat removes the risks expressed by teachers, the additional burden of teachers and students in organizing and conducting events for citizens.

At the same time, it is necessary to plan and build a systematic, rather than one-time, situational interaction.

As an option for interaction with urban communities, we can consider the creation of an innovative dialogue platform on the basis of universities for specialists of various professions (mathematicians, speech pathologists, psychologists, lawyers, etc.) in the style of Talks for the exchange of professional experience, knowledge and useful technologies. This site is an open group for those interested in a certain topic.

These directions are consistent with the suggestions that teachers generated during focus group interviews and brainstorming sessions.

In order to identify the prospects for the interaction of university campuses with urban communities and the search for effective formats of interaction between the university and urban communities, a series of focus group interviews with elements of brainstorming with initiative groups of teachers of individual institutes of the university was conducted. The total duration of focus groups is 1.5 hours.

The main issues of focus group discussions: What are the needs and deficits of urban communities in the location of the Institute? Can the University meet them within the framework of the campus infrastructure? What is the role of the university in the development and/or support of urban communities? What are the opportunities for university campuses to interact with the city's communities?

Summarizing the statements of the focus group participants, the interaction of the institute with the city can be represented as a complex of clusters:

educational. Within the framework of this cluster, a number of events are being implemented: a lecture hall of the center for public science; Olympiads for students in biology, geography, the basics of adaptive physical culture, the basics of physical education; a geography study center for schoolchildren; additional educational programs for students, teachers and citizens of different age groups ("Technology of kinesiological taping", "Wellness massage", "Nutritionology: physiology of optimal digestion", etc.). The interaction of students with students of educational organizations in the framework of socio-cultural practice is actively developing. For example, the project "Just about the important", in which students conduct master classes, meetings in the following areas: "Life Hacks about the Unified State Exam", "Physics in everyday life", "Professions of the future". This format of work contributes to the expansion of ideas about the areas of training at the university, allows you to overcome the stereotype that the university is carried out in the direction of training specialists working at school (IT specialists, methodologists of educational courses, etc.);

research. The main activity of the staff in this area is the study of human physical capabilities and comprehensive scientific and methodological support of sports communities by the staff of the Laboratory of Human Capabilities of the Institute of Natural Sciences and Sports Technologies of the Moscow State Pedagogical University. Based on the data obtained, a scientifically based training process program is compiled aimed at improving health and athletic performance. The main deficit in the development of this cluster is how to make this direction systematic, not one-time, how to reach out to citizens and informal sports communities, how to develop a specific "product" solution for citizens;

consulting – qualified specialists of the university provide consulting assistance to residents of different age groups on the issues of education and development of children and adults, including in the field of speech therapy and defectology;

image and leisure. Within the framework of this cluster, the university offers areas for leisure city events, meetings of citizens living in nearby territories. The fund of multifunctional sports, assembly halls, libraries is used for various kinds of events;

sporty. Work in this cluster is implemented through a number of sports sections functioning at universities. These are sections for basketball, badminton, volleyball, handball, swimming, martial arts, triathlon, fitness aerobics, etc.;

volunteer. Volunteer work of students and teachers at the request of organizations (for example, centers for social assistance to families and children) and exchange of experience with counselors and volunteer organizations (project "Conversational Club");

Additional formats of interaction with urban communities can be:

– circle activities for children and citizens of other age groups living in the immediate vicinity of the university campuses. When organizing online courses, the audience of citizens interested in various subject areas of knowledge can be expanded;

– summer shifts for children, a weekend group organized as part of the students' practice;

– master classes for citizens. Representatives of urban communities, together with teachers and students, develop a plan and content of events;

– compilation of electronic catalogs of various directions for citizens, where they will be able to use reliable, verified information;

– participation of teachers and students in the projects of the city.

The target audience of these clusters can be parent communities, sports and healthy lifestyle communities, neighborly, eco-communities, communities of pensioners, veterans, communities of light sociality.

Despite the existing options for interaction with communities, the following issues require further study:

1. The theme of the events and its relevance from the urban communities, the study of the request. Topical issues in this aspect: How to choose the topic of interest? What is the actual request of the citizens? How to ensure that communities are informed? To this end, it was decided to conduct a survey of local informal communities through the Ivanovskoye District Council.

2. Formats and conditions necessary for attracting citizens. The organization of educational events at university sites plays an important role in attracting citizens. For example, the campaign "Geographical dictation", the competition for schoolchildren "Moscow Megapolis: geography, ecology, local history and tourism", "Science Festival", etc.

3. Personnel issues (will the University staff be able to act as lecturers attractive to the community?).

4.                 Ensuring unhindered access to the campus, the rules of passage (the use of QR codes is possible).

5. Development of a specific "product" solution for citizens and a "competently built" PR company about possible offers and products of the institute.

6.                 Access to municipalities and interested organizations in order to clarify the request from citizens; direct access to urban communities and formulation of a specific request to the institute.

7. Legal support and advice on the organization and implementation of educational services for children and citizens of different ages at the university; elaboration of regulatory and legal aspects of providing university infrastructure to urban communities; study of the experience of universities that are already implementing this practice.

8. Carefully consider the issues of attracting teachers and students to interact with urban communities (How will this be reflected or included in the main workload of teachers? How to attract students on a volunteer basis?); determine the list of services through outsourcing of temporary staff, because there is a risk of expanding the functionality of teachers in addition to the existing load.

9.                 To work out the financial side of interaction with urban communities (How will the payment for educational courses and programs be carried out?); to consider the possibility of providing services on a reimbursable basis through small innovative enterprises (MIPS), through autonomous non-profit organizations (ANO). The main barriers to the functioning of MIP at universities are most often inefficiency or lack of marketing of technologies and competencies, customer search; inactive search for solutions for the use and commercialization of university product solutions; weak interaction between university institutes and departments engaged in marketing and commercialization. Minimization of these risks is possible with the formation of the ecosystem of the university, close interaction of the structural units of the university, including with regulatory financial and marketing issues ^[23].

10.            To regulate the issues of students' involvement in educational programs for the population.

11.            All issues of interaction with urban communities should be resolved after a thorough study of requests from urban communities and research on the demand for the services offered.

ConclusionSumming up the results of the study of the potential of university campuses in meeting the needs of urban communities, it is possible to identify the main areas of interaction with urban communities:

1) educational:

advising and accompanying citizens of different ages on the education and development of children and adults, including those with special needs, on physical development and distribution of sports load, legal advice. In general, consultations can cover a wide range of issues, since a significant advantage of many multidisciplinary universities is the availability of a wide range of specialists from various fields (teachers, psychologists, medical professionals, lawyers, speech pathologists, etc.);

– courses, clubs, webinar programs, clubs for children and adults, lectures;

– popularization of topics at the request of informal urban communities;

– supervision and care: weekend stay, evening stay, summer shifts, babysitter for an hour;

2) diagnostic: diagnostics of the features of cognitive, personal and psychophysical development of children, adults;

3) research: organization and conduct of research at the request of urban communities, which corresponds to the main activities of the Research Institute of Urban Studies and Global Education, which is part of the structure of the Moscow State University;

4) volunteer: support at social infrastructure facilities, support of participants of various kinds of city events;

5) sports and recreation. Work in this cluster is implemented through a number of sports sections functioning at universities;

6) infrastructure: library, assembly and sports halls, coworking, classrooms, university grounds, etc.;

7) cultural and leisure: organization, support and participation in urban projects (joint educational events with the city, events related to the life of the district);

8) expert – analysis of significant problems for communities and search for ways to solve them; comments and opinions on current topics, participation in commissions, public councils;

9) development of the city's infrastructure: the formation of urban space (inclusive playgrounds, playgrounds and sports grounds, an environment comfortable for citizens, etc.)

An important resource of the university is attracting students to interact with urban communities within the framework of socio–cultural practice, through research and projects of students carried out when writing term papers and WRC; students' activities in the summer; participation in urban projects with subsequent employment of students.

When building the university's interaction with urban communities, it is important to take into account:

1) regulatory and legal aspects of providing university infrastructure to urban communities, which requires the study of existing experience;

2) regulatory and legal issues of attracting teachers and students to interact with urban communities and the implementation of educational programs for citizens of different ages;

3) the financial side of interaction with urban communities;

4) interaction with urban communities should be built after a thorough study of requests from urban communities and a study of the demand for the services offered;

5) psychological and organizational aspects of interaction with urban communities. When building interaction with informal urban communities, it is important to understand and accept the idea that unites participants; to ensure cohesion and emotional contact in and with the community; to share the idea of unacceptability of pressure and vertical interaction with the community, the main tactic is "from the requests and needs of the community", since the community is not only competencies (new information), it is unity and autonomy;

6) building hybrid connections, through which the university and the city exchange available resources. Joint activities, projects and research, in which both moderators of the process (university staff) and participants of urban communities are active, both sides are proactive and show mutual responsibility when citizens are not only consumers, but also partners. This tactic allows you to gradually move from the levels of passive participation of members of urban communities (counseling, educational programs implemented for urban communities by university staff and students) to the level of partnership (initiate interaction, participate in the implementation of some programs, etc.);

7) self-presentation (organization of one or more events to familiarize community members with the activities of the university and interests) can be attributed to the tools for developing interaction with informal urban communities. To this end, it is important to competently present the main activities of the structural units of the Moscow State Pedagogical University using various resources (landing page; presentation at significant conferences and events; representation in the district councils and municipalities of Moscow, recording podcasts, etc.); participant card, which implies familiarity and understanding of the needs of a potential target audience (in our case, a certain type communities. Understanding the true needs and requests of communities allows you to competently build a further strategy of interaction with it; resource map – data on educational, infrastructural, cognitive resources of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, which can be useful for urban communities;

8) an important aspect of interaction with urban communities can be access to municipalities and district administrations with specific proposals and products; educational and other organizations working with the population and interested in university resources (employment centers; family and childhood support centers); parent communities, informal professional communities.