An education leader and adviser to Hunter College’s provost has been named a fellow by a task force that promotes private-public partnerships.
Professor Jennifer Tuten, a past acting dean of the School or Education and now a special adviser on community engagement and public partnerships to Provost Manoj Pardasani, was named one of four fellows nationally by the Anchor Institution Task Force of Marga Inc.
Marga, founded in 2000 by foundation executive David Maurrasse, advises universities, corporations, and nonprofits on community engagement and social responsibility. Anchor institutions such as Hunter leverage their personnel and resources to form deep relationships with their communities, learning from them and helping them thrive.
The Anchor Institutions Task Force, comprising some 1,000 members internationally, was established in 2009 with the goal of using the resources of higher education, economic development, and medical institutions to improve communities’ economic, social, and civic needs. According to the Marga website, task force members share a commitment to the following values:
- Equity and social justice
- Democracy and democratic practice
- Place and community
- Collaboration and partnership
Tuten has guided many high-impact community projects, notably READ East Harlem-Hunter College, a multimillion professional development initiative funded by the New York Community Trust’s Brooke Astor Fund for Public Education. The collaborative project united faculty with K–3 teachers and school leaders across East Harlem’s elementary schools.
“I’m very honored to have been selected and I’m very much looking forward to the experience,” Tuten said.
The Anchor Fellows Program seeks to provide anchor institution leaders with tools, resources, mentorship, and relationships.
“In these turbulent and divided times, our most urgent global and national challenges are manifested at the local level,” the task force said in announcing the fellows. “Anchor institutions are essential to navigating the complexities of our times in place, and it takes committed people within anchor institutions and in communities to enable this important role.”
Tuten and the other 2026 fellows will attend an orientation on November 6 at the task force’s annual event in New York City.
