Institute for Urban Studies

Richard L. Cole, Director
David Tees, Director of Training and Services

SUPA’s Institute of Urban Studies is a research, service and training component offering its services to the entire state of Texas in fulfillment of a legislative mandate. The Institute draws on SUPA’s diverse faculty and graduate student body to provide research, including survey research, and data analysis, technical assistance and practical training to state and local officials, community leaders and members of the general public. It supports the convening of urban leaders, professionals and academics as the way to find solutions to complex urban problems.

Outreach and Service

Service projects, launched by the Institute at the request of public or nonprofit groups, put SUPA’s resources to work finding solutions to difficult community problems. Many of these projects are integrated into the academic curriculum so that graduate students are provided with faculty-supervised opportunities to apply their growing knowledge and skills in a variety of real-life situations.

Training and Facilitation

Customized, in-house training is offered for local governments and nonprofit organizations including the assessment of learning needs, program design and evaluation. Skilled facilitation is available from the Institute for council and board retreats and meetings of staff or community groups engaged in strategic planning.

Survey Research

The Institute is highly respected by local governments and state agencies as a reliable source of customized survey research. Typical are surveys of citizen attitudes, voting preferences and the prevalence of alternative service-delivery practices. Services include instrument design and administration and the analysis and reporting of survey results.

Conferences

Through an endowed guest-lecture series and periodic grant-supported issue conferences, the Institute brings government leaders and subject-matter experts together to discuss issues and consider solutions to the challenges they face. A recent conference hosted by SUPA in celebration of UTA’s centennial-year featured David Rusk, a national authority on regionalism.