Why Do We Engage In Engagement?

Abstract

Universities have many reasons for seeking closer alliances and partnerships with the communities they serve. These partnerships constitute a set of mutually beneficial relationships that can challenge the traditional values of the academy. Direct involvement with community and societal issues is often considered less than scholarly by faculty and the changes necessary to promote meaningful community-campus interactions may be viewed with suspicion or anxiety by members of both the campus community and the broader community. There are many benefits associated with engagement that make the challenge of building the capacity for partnership worthwhile.