CoLab
CoLab cultivates relationships between neighboring universities and communities to collaboratively address complex local problems through research, professional development, resource mobilization, and joint action.
We explore how higher education institutions can have meaningful, long-term engagements to better serve their local communities. Our vision is a Monterey County in which communities and neighboring universities co-create knowledge that promotes equity, that advances social justice, and solves local challenges.
Values
CoLab prioritizes the following values in our projects and partnerships:
Collaboration
Community members, faculty, and students from local universities leverage their respective strengths and experiences to create change and positively impact their communities.
Balancing Humility and Expertise
We understand and honor that expertise—knowledge of root problems and their solutions—lies equally in communities and universities. CoLab creates conditions to join these perspectives so that partners see each other as assets for achieving mutually agreed upon goals.
Commitment to Long-Term Relationships and Change
We recognize that understanding and confronting complex challenges takes time. At the heart of CoLab’s work is an emphasis on building trust, exercising transparency, and cultivating mutually-beneficial relationships between community partners and universities.
Critical Action
CoLab projects are intentional. Partnerships result in useful and tangible outcomes from the perspectives of everyone involved.
Partner with Us
Share your interest in collaborating with MIIS faculty, staff, and students.