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Presidents and administrators from more than a dozen upstate colleges will meet with U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton next week to discuss the role higher education can play in the region at a special event hosted by ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’s Upstate Institute.

Civic and business leaders also are scheduled to attend the roundtable discussion and open dialogue with Clinton on Monday, April 5, at the ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ campus. After those private meetings, Clinton will give a keynote address, which is open to the public, at 4 p.m. in the Reid Athletic Center.

The meetings are an opportunity for college presidents to share ideas and best practices on ways institutions of higher learning can be ‘catalysts for change, generators of change in the upstate region,’ said Jane Pinchin, director of the Upstate Institute.

‘Institutions of higher learning realize that in the 21st century it’s important to be good neighbors, not isolated ivory towers on the hill,’ said Pinchin. ‘They see themselves as citizen participants, and that’s particularly important in upstate New York, where all who live here and who love the area have a responsibility to keep it vital, to contribute to its future.’

Pinchin said the college presidents and civic leaders will focus on three areas: Developing strategies for keeping young people in the area, connecting university research to the region, and creating culturally diverse communities.

After the roundtable discussions, Clinton will join in the dialogue.

‘She will be in conversation with the educators and civic leaders with the intention to develop solutions and plans for the future,’ said Pinchin. ‘It’s very exciting to have her support and enthusiastic participation.’

Pinchin said officials such as Rob Simpson, of the Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse and Central New York, and Patrick Doyle, director of the Greater Binghamton Coalition, will add to the discussions and provide different perspectives on strategies.

‘We will be bringing people together with very different profiles but who share a common goal of enriching the region,’ said Pinchin, who added that the academic officials will be coming from both public and private institutions.

Pinchin stressed that she expects the list of participants to grow. So far, the presidents of these schools have committed to attending: Binghamton University, Clarkson University, ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ, Hamilton College, Hartwick College, Jefferson Community College, LeMoyne College, Mohawk Valley Community College, Morrisville State College, Onondaga Community College, SUNY at Cortland, SUNY at Oneonta, Union College, Utica College (vice president of academic affairs), and Wells College.

Also attending will be two senior leaders from SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse; president of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities; director of the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica; and representatives from Central New York Community Foundations, Syracuse, and the Madison County Office of the Aging.

The visit by Clinton is the first major conference organized by ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ’s Upstate Institute, which was launched last December to serve as a resource for organizations and individuals seeking regional expertise or information about upstate.

The institute has already sponsored an art exhibition with regional ties ‘ ‘Braidings and Benches: The Oneida Community and the Arts and Crafts Movement’ at the university’s Picker Art Gallery. The Oneida Mansion House and the Stickley, Audi & Co. contributed pieces to the exhibition, which runs through April 25.

The institute is just one of the ways that ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ contributes to the community and the region, Pinchin said. As participants in the conference discuss their best practices, she said she will share the ideas behind the institute and three other ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ initiatives:

The Center for Outreach, Volunteerism and Education (COVE) which, along with other campus programs, engages students in meaningful community service.

The Partnership for Community Development,  created five years ago when ¸Ô±¾ÊÓƵ joined forces with the village and town of Hamilton to explore ways to spur economic development in and around the village.

The Hamilton Initiative, a for-profit limited liability company formed by the university that has purchased and restored several commercial properties in the village of Hamilton while keeping them on the tax rolls.