Recently in civic engagement Category

David Weerts has spent the past several years examining state and university relationships as well as a belief among many higher education leaders that if colleges and universities are going to gain more legislative support they need to pump up their public relations and marketing efforts.

But Weerts -- a Wisconsin native who is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and co-director of the Jandris Center for Innovative Higher Education -- argues similarly to Mason that institutions would have more success if they became "more productively engaged in state problems."

Read more here.

Community Engagement and Boundary Spanning Roles at Public Research Universities by D. Weerts & L. Sandmann.

Over the past decade, community engagement has emerged as an important priority among many colleges and universities. This study employs a multi-case study design to examine boundary spanning practices of research universities that have adopted a community engagement agenda. A model is advanced to conceptualize spanning behaviors and to inform practice and future research.

The University's Global Program and Strategy Alliance awarded Linda Buturian (Senior Teaching Specialist, Postsecondary Teaching and Learning) and colleague Catherine Solheim (Associate Professor, Family Social Science) travel grants to fund their Mekong Initiative. Linda and Cathy will travel to northern Thailand in August and interview villagers and NGOs along the Mekong River to create digital stories about the impact of development of the Mekong on the villagers' culture and daily living. Buturian and Solheim will also develop contacts for and plan a new integrated course and a future Learning Abroad program centered on northern Thailand. They also received CEHD International Engagement grants for the Mekong Initiative.

Toward Multicultural Community Engagement by T. Grier-Reed; D. Detzner; R. Poch & S. Staats

An integrative approach to undergraduate curriculum development that we call multicultural community engagement can prepare students to participate in a diverse democracy and the more complex world of tomorrow. Courses, programs, and undergraduate majors can be strengthened through curricula that develop multicultural competency and that position students to work in full collaboration with diverse communities. Curricular examples suggest ways to incorporate multicultural community engagement into a variety of courses and disciplines.

The Engaged Campus: Toward a Comprehensive Approach to Public Engagement by A. Furco.

Although civic purposes are implicit in the mission statements of higher education institutions, American colleges and universities have not always embraced public engagement initiatives. This paper explores how the recent emergence of the engaged campus movement has helped move public engagement initiatives from the margins to the mainstream by integrating community engagement into the research, teaching and public service functions of the academy.

Beyond giving: Political advocacy and volunteer roles of college alumni by D. Weerts.

College and university leaders have paid an enormous level of attention to one domain of alumni involvement: charitable giving. In light of the decline of state support for higher education and the shrinking ability of families to pay for college, such emphasis is understandable. However, this emphasis has blinded scholars and practitioners to understanding the important non-monetary support roles played by college alumni. Drawing on data from a research extensive university, this study employs a sequential mixed method design (focus groups and confirmatory factor analysis) to demonstrate that non-monetary support behaviors are best understood through the distinct, but interrelated domains of political advocacy and volunteerism. Political advocacy behaviors include contacting legislators, the governor's office, local politicians and serving on a political action team, while volunteer behaviors include mentoring new alumni, recruiting students, and participating in special events. The study breaks ground for future research on alumni support for higher education, including strategies to recruit alumni volunteers and advocates.

Building a two-way street: Challenges and opportunities for community engagement at research universities by D. Weerts.

Recent reforms in the Carnegie Foundation classification system and regional accreditation standards have fueled momentum for community engagement in higher education. This study employs a knowledge-flow conceptual framework to identify barriers and facilitators that influence the adoption of an engagement agenda at land-grant and urban research universities. With data drawn from six cases, broad themes related to institutional setting, history, epistemologies, leadership, structures, and boundary-spanning roles of faculty and staff emerged as key levers or inhibitors of community engagement at research universities. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.