An intensive two-year study is underway to investigate the ways in which the 13 institutions participating in the Engaging Communities and Campuses grant program are approaching the institutionalization of their community/campus collaborations.
     Andrew Furco and Megan Goss from the University of California at Berkeley, and Sally Leiderman and Jennifer Zapf of the Center for Assessment and Policy Development have collaborated on the evaluation—one of only a few national efforts to consider the impact of community/campus engagement activities on the communities with whom educational institutions partner.

     The study has five goals:

1) describe the various approaches that campuses employ to advance and institutionalize community engagement efforts that enhance student learning and serve the public good;
2) describe the process by which community residents and community organizations work with campuses to meet their own goals, each other’s goals, and mutual goals to which they have agreed;
3) develop a set of understandings regarding the ways in which campuses’ academic cultures, faculty knowledge and skills, institutional infrastructure, and partnership relationships are shaped as the community/campus partnerships work toward increasing the quality and quantity of experiential education opportunities, expanding their capacity for engagement, and meeting their community partner’s needs;
4) promote further understanding of the ways in which communities benefit through their involvement in community/campus initiatives and identify those benefits that foster sustained interest and participation; and
5) identify key leverage points, activities, and effective practices that
successfully promote community/ campus engagement.

     “While most studies of the program until now have focused principally on issues relevant to higher education, this evaluation is designed to ensure that appropriate attention is paid to issues that are of concern to both the campus and the community,” Gilliard said. She noted that data are being collected from a variety of sources, including grantee reports and documents, phone interviews, and two-day site visits.
     “Our research tells us that community partners particularly value campus partners who are willing and able to discuss issues of parity and to prepare students with an understanding of how these issues play out in creating and improving community conditions,” Gilliard said. Evaluator Andrew Furco said “the strong efforts of the 13 colleges and universities are helping the field to understand better the various approaches that enhance higher education’s engagement in the community.”

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Last updated: March 2003
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