We invite you to spend a little time getting to know us and learn about what makes UROC tick. UROC is a University of Minnesota research center, but it’s also an important resource for the North Minneapolis community. It’s a gathering place for local residents, an educational and cultural setting, and a living laboratory where the community and University researchers work together to improve the lives of those in urban areas.
The Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center is a unit of the University of Minnesota Office for Public Engagement within the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost.
Makeda Zulu-Gillespie has been named executive director of the University of Minnesota Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC). A staff member of UROC since its inception, Zulu-Gillespie has served as UROC's first director of community outreach since 2009.
As UROC’s executive director, she will serve as the center’s chief executive with primary responsibility for securing the UROC’s success in all aspects of its work. She will provide executive oversight of UROC’s strategic planning, revenue generation, financial stewardship, organizational development, staff management, and operational activities.
Celebrate North Minneapolis and the great state of Minnesota at UROC Community Day 2019. This year's event features an appearance by University of Minnesota President Joan T.A. Gabel, research demonstrations and learning activities, Goldy Gopher, live music, giveaways, and foods representing Minnesota's communities. The event is free and open to the public.
Activist, scholar, and University of Minnesota Regent Emeritus Josie R. Johnson will discuss and sign her new book, Hope in the Struggle: A Memoir, at UROC at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, June 27, 2019. A memoir about shouldering the cause of social justice during the darkest hours and brightest moments for civil rights in America—and, specifically, in Minnesota—Hope in the Struggle shines light on the difference one person can make. The event is free and open to the public.
Sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, The Illusion of Choice: Evictions and Profit in North Minneapolis project aims to answer the question of why and how evictions are taking place from the perspectives of tenants and landlords themselves. The event is free and open to the public.
Dirty Deed by Nikki McComb
May 28 through August 3, 2019
Opening Reception: 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 30
Art is My Weapon founder Nikki McComb uses data exploring evictions in North Minneapolis as the guide for "The Moving Walls of Minneapolis." Part installation, part visual story, this exhibit, produced in partnership with the University of Minnesota Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, brings a deeply personal local perspective to our country’s affordable housing crisis. For more information about the artist and the exhibit, visit vacatempls.com