What is university-community engagement?
Simply put, university-community engagement refers to the interaction between members of the university (e.g. faculty members, graduate and undergraduate students, or professional staff) and members of the local public (e.g. general residents, local leaders, or local groups/organizations). The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching defines community engagement as ”
Why promote university-community engagement?
Penn State’s responsibility and desire to engage with the broader public has both historical roots and modern-day motivations. In the last 20-30 years, there has been a growing call for public and land-grant institutions to return to their roots and serve the very people they were founded to benefit. Today, organizations have emerged with the sole intent of increasing and improving the interaction or engagement between institutions of higher education and their larger communities.
Historical Mission
Penn State is a public, land-grant institution founded to meet the educational needs of individuals and communities throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through a tripartite mission of teaching, research, and service. Land-grant institutions were established to drive agricultural and industrial growth by promoting “the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life” (Sec. 4, Morrill Act of 1862). Land-grant institutions have since been perceived as unresponsive to and out-of-touch with the public and are urged to recommit themselves to serving the needs of society through greater public scholarship and engagement (Kellogg Commission, 1999).
Returning To Our Roots
In the mid-to-late 1990s, the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities published series of reports highlighting the challenges facing land-grant institutions and making recommendations for future progress. In the 1999 report, “Returning To Our Roots: The Engaged Institution,” the Kellogg Commission urged schools to rededicate themselves to the land-grant mission, stating “with the resources and superbly qualified professors and staff on our campuses, we can organize our institutions to serve both local and national needs in a more coherent and effective way” (p.3). Institutions were called to redesign their tripartite missions to become more involved with their communities.
The report detailed Penn State and 10 other exemplary institutions and identified seven engagement principles:
- Responsiveness
- Respect for partners
- Academic neutrality
- Accessibility
- Integration
- Coordination
- Resource partnerships. Since then, another organization has sought to formally evaluate and recognize institutions’ community engagement activities.
Modern-Day Recognition
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching offers the Community Engagement Classification as a formal recognition of an institution’s commitment to fostering community engagement. The classification process requires institutions to assess and document their engagement scholarship on a regular basis. During the 2015 classification round, the Carnegie Foundation made a series of recommendations for both rejected and accepted applicants.
Collectively, institutions need to improve in six key areas (Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, 2015):
- Documenting foundational indicators
- Establishing a clear definition and process for fostering engagement within the curriculum
- Identifying and assessing impacts on students, faculty, and communities
- Developing, supporting, and rewarding faculty engagement
- Establishing long-term community partnerships
- Coordinating smaller projects and initiatives into larger engagement efforts (Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, 2015).
Penn State achieved the classification in 2008 and 2015, but must heed these recommendations if it is to succeed in the next round in 2020.
Statement of Need
There exists a need to promote responsive and responsible university-community engagement at Penn State. As a publicly funded university, Penn State must remain accountable to Pennsylvania legislators and taxpayers and communicate the value of public investment in higher education. As the state’s sole land-grant institution, Penn State must uphold its charge to support the needs and desires of the larger public, not just prominent donors and stakeholders. Penn State must adhere to the Kellogg Commission principles and address the Carnegie Foundation recommendations if it is to remain an exemplar of engagement and maintain its classification. Lastly, as the university restructures its Extension system and promotes a new Student Engagement Network, it must articulate a clear strategy for planning, implementing, and evaluating its engagement activities. The CARES Project is proposed to help Penn State respond to these concerns and achieve responsive and responsible university-community engagement.