EBOOK: Managing Civic and Community Engagement

Book excerpt: What are, and what should be, the roles of modern universities and colleges in supporting their host societies? Where have these obligations arisen from, and how can they best be responded to? What are the conditions of “membership” of a modern university or college? There is an international revival of interest in issues about the purposes of universities and colleges and their role in a wider society. Much of this is structured around perceptions of the role of higher education in modern knowledge economies. Meanwhile there has been a dearth of scholarly attention to the practice (as opposed to the rhetoric) of civic engagement by universities and colleges in various cultural contexts. This book fills that gap. An historical survey of the “founding” intentions of universities and colleges in different eras and various countries is followed by case studies of successful recent projects carried out at three leading institutions – the Universities of Brighton, Pennsylvania and Queensland. A practical benchmarking questionnaire that was developed with the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) is also included in order to assist institutions in assessing their own progress. The book contends that genuine engagement, with the community and with civil society, can be uncertain and risky, but that it plays an essential role in managing today’s higher education institutions. Managing Civic and Community Engagement provides key reading for people interested in equity and diversity in higher education, including those studying aspects of higher education management, as well as professionals and policy makers in the field.