Three decades ago, an artist named Tyree Guyton turned two abandoned blocks around his grandfather’s house on Detroit’s east side into a landmark incorporating his signature polka dots along with found objects such as clocks, records and stuffed animals.

Experts from eight units across the university and a group of 15 students teamed up to create the Community Engagement: Collaborating for Change massive open online course (MOOC).

Faculty, staff, community members and students gathered in Rackham’s Assembly Hall to attend The Edward Ginsberg Center’s Dewey Lecture Series and learn more about community engagement projects, including those involving U-M.

University of Michigan researchers studied three Detroit neighborhoods — Grandmont Rosedale, East English Village and MorningSide. They found that those under the leadership of a community development corporation, along with volunteer efforts, weathered the city’s housing crisis better than the rest.

The Technical Assistance Center (TAC) is dedicated to establishing and promoting socially just communities, and deploys its interventions to support Detroit residents and stakeholders as they work to strengthen and improve their neighborhoods.

For more than a decade, the Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning at the University of Michigan has been hosting a variety of programs and services for students and assisting faculty in the development of engaged learning in their courses and programs.