M. Roy Wilson, who over his career worked as dean, vice president, president and chancellor at four different universities, had what he called a “plum job” at the National Institutes of Health when he contemplated returning to academia as a university president. If he were going to make the move, the school had to meet his requirements.

It needed to be a public, urban, research university. It needed a large medical school.

And it needed an intimate connection with its community.

Wilson found all of that at Wayne State University. Programs like Street Medicine Detroit, TeachDETROIT, Math Corps, the Free Legal Aid Clinic and the Center for Urban Studies serve the city’s neighborhoods while providing hands-on learning opportunities for Wayne State’s more than 27,000 students.

This story was originally published by Crain Content Studio.  Read the full story here.

Read our series on how Wayne State University connects with Detroit neighborhoods:

• Law students help break barriers to justice
• Future teachers where they’re most needed: in Detroit classrooms
• Urban Studies program works to keep neighborhoods safer, healthier
• Street Medicine Detroit bridges gap between medical, homeless communities
• Math Corps goes beyond multiplication, division in connecting with kids using jazz hands and more