The Fitz Center for Leadership in Community is built around four basic convictions that are generally shared by other university-based urban centers, independent urban research centers and a number of national and regional foundations that promote constructive change in communities. These four basic convictions represent new approaches to addressing societal needs.

• A different way of learning:
  Practical reasoning and experiential (service) learning
• A different way of seeing and understanding:
  The urban community as a social ecology of children, families, neighborhoods, and systems
• A different way of designing and implementing change:
  Comprehensive community building
• A different way of leading:
  Adaptive leadership through constructive conversation