Macalester-Rondo Partnership

Civic engagement is one of the core values that Macalester College holds. Students regularly volunteer, intern, and work in the greater Twin Cities community. Most notably, Macalester participates in an ongoing partnership with the Historic Rondo Neighborhood, a historic Black neighborhood that was physically divided due to the construction of I-94 in the 1960s.

History

Macalester began its involvement with the Historic Rondo Neighborhood over 20 years ago when a Macalester student wrote a senior thesis on the Rondo community. Through the project, a relationship was formed between the two communities through Professor David Lanegran of the Geography department and Marvin Anderson, co-founder of Rondo Avenue Inc.

In 1994, Macalester donated five houses located on Macalester Street to the Rondo Community Land Trust and relocated them to other Saint Paul neighborhoods. To this day, the Macalester community (students, faculty, and staff) remains active partners with the Historic Rondo Neighborhood to commemorate its past, celebrate its families, and strengthen the community. Read about it in the May 1994 edition of Macalester Daily.

Academic Partnerships

Numerous Macalester courses have completed projects with different Historic Rondo Neighborhood community partners. The following projects are listed by academic discipline, then by course title.

American Studies

Engaging the 21st Century City: Innovation, Inequality, and Urban Development in the Twin Cities and Seattle (Professor Paul Schadewald and Professor Rebecca Wingo)

This class explores urban issues in the Twin Cities and Seattle. Students who enrolled in a four-credit experience completed independent, digital projects, including a project on the theme of gentrification in the neighborhoods near the Historic Rondo community.

Bomberg, Daniel (2006). Musings on Central Selby: What an Independent Study Taught Me About Gentrification and Community Resilience. Engaging Cities. Accessed 31 July 2018. http://engaging-cities.com/projects/final-projects/selby-gentrification/

Environmental Studies

Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies (Professor Chris Wells)

Students studied the impact of I-94’s construction and aftermath on the Rondo community. Each student embarked on an individual research project and looked at the environmental connection between Rondo and I-94 through various perspectives, such as the Environmental Assessment (EAs), noise pollution, and other health risks. At the end of the course, students present their research findings through a poster presentation.

Students studied the impact of I-94’s construction and aftermath on the Rondo community. Each student embarked on an individual research project and looked at the environmental connection between Rondo and I-94 through various perspectives, such as the Environmental Assessment (EAs), noise pollution, and other health risks. At the end of the course, students present their research findings through a poster presentation.