The Urban Studies Center was founded in 1967 to form a partnership between La Salle University (then College) and its neighboring communities. These communities are often referred to as the GLOW area (Germantown-Logan-Olney-West Oak Lane). The Center was also referred to as the Urban Center and the Urban Studies and Community Service Center.

The self-defined goals of the Center were to “assist the empowerment of the community to influence the key economic, social, political, and cultural institutions which form the urban environment; to support efforts to challenge discriminatory policies and practices; to assist local developments toward economic justice for poor and moderate income residents; and to celebrate the strengths of our multi-racial, multi-ethnic urban neighborhoods.”

The Urban Studies Center supported community development by providing cultural and educational programs, project and organizational development services, community service; and by partnering with other local community organizations to work towards shared goals.

The Center provided free, non-credit, college-level courses to community members through the Adult Learning Project. This program also provided adult basic education classes, GED classes and testing, and ESL classes.

Through its Communiversity program, the Center offered leadership development and a variety of cultural and personal enrichment courses at La Salle and in the community. It organized public lectures, seminars, film screenings, and discussion forums on community issues such as public education, adult literacy, and housing needs.

Also on offer to community organizations were courses on conflict resolution and mediation, fund raising, public relations, management skills, and community organizing through the Technical Assistance Program.

The Urban Studies Center partnered with local organizations to implement community-based programs, such as establishing town watches, training and organizing block captains, and providing crime prevention workshops.

La Salle University students were also involved with the Urban Studies Center. The Center coordinated internships for students enrolled in the Urban Studies minor. Students also volunteered with community organizations and helped to run neighborhood tutoring and the Summer Youth Education Program for local children.

The Urban Studies Center operated under the Vice President for Academic Affairs and was funded with a mix of institutional and grant funding. When a major operating grant was lost, the Urban Studies Center and the Public Affairs Office were combined with the Center for Community Learning in 1998 to create the Center for Community Learning and Outreach.