Rita Axelroth Hodges, Associate Director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, Receives 2026 Barbara A. Holland Scholar-Administrator Award

Posted by Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities on November 17, 2026

The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) is pleased to announce that Rita Axelroth Hodges, EdD has been awarded the 2026 Barbara A. Holland Scholar-Administrator Award. Dr. Hodges serves as associate director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania, a university-wide center that develops and helps implement democratic, mutually transformative, place-based partnerships between Penn and West Philadelphia.

“Dr. Hodges embodies what the Holland Award was created to honor. I still remember reading the book she co-authored, The Road Half Traveled, and how it introduced me to anchor institution work. That is the kind of influence Rita’s scholarship has had across our field. She doesn’t just study how universities can be partners in building stronger communities, she helps institutions actually do it,” said Valerie Holton, CEO of CUMU.

From her early work as a researcher and consultant examining university-community engagement to her current role as Associate Director of the Netter Center and Executive Secretary of the International Consortium for Higher Education, Civic Responsibility, and Democracy, Dr. Hodges has pursued a career dedicated to understanding and advancing the capacity of colleges and universities to serve as partners in creating more just, democratic, and equitable communities.

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