UMKC is inviting residents of the neighborhoods around it to join a new advisory council. The University says it is replacing the Volker Neighborhood Council, which operated from 2002-2015, with the Neighborhood Advisory Council. The council is intended to ensure neighborhood dialogue with the surrounding community.
UMKC says “the council is being formed in recognition of the unique mutual interests of the campus and neighborhoods that exist in this area and is open to residents of the nine communities that surround the university’s Volker Campus: 49/63 Coalition; Countryside Homes; Crestwood Homes; Rockhill Crest; Rockhill Homes; Rockhill Ridge; South Plaza; Troost Plateau; and Troostwood.”
The new council will differ from the previous one in several ways, the university said. It will meet monthly instead of quarterly; it will have a Facebook page to encourage community participation; and an independent facilitator has been hired. Also, applicants are no longer required to serve on the governing board of their neighborhood organization.
Application process (provided by UMKC)
- Interested residents are encouraged to apply for council membership.
- All applications will be reviewed by an independent Membership Review Committee that will make final recommendations to the UMKC Chancellor.
- Applicants must possess a strong interest in neighborhood dialogue plus a willingness to engage with community members and University staff in and between monthly meetings.
- References provided by each applicant will be used to verify a personal history of respectful and collegial interaction in previous committee, council or task force work.
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