Over the last two years, University of Georgia students and faculty members have worked with community leaders in Sandersville and surrounding Washington County to tackle some of the area's most pressing problems, among them, reversing a doctor shortage and improving air quality to meet federal standards. Their work is part of an effort, now in…

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…

Tennessee State University has a rich history of public service and civic engagement--thus the motto "Think, Work, Serve." Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University has grown dramatically from a small college to two campuses. We actively engage in adhering to the cornerstone of the land-grant universities: teaching, research, and outreach. Our…

Explores an effort by Colgate University (New York) to enhance economic development in two low-income hamlets in New York through community-visioning programs. Describes the process of community visioning and shows how Colgate has been instrumental in its promotion. Argues that universities are better situated than governments or nonprofits to…

Discusses two areas central to the development mission of the University of Massachusetts (Lowell): (1) restructuring activities for a transformative effect on the regional economy while maintaining academic standards, and (2) who should be involved in these decisions. Reviews projects undertaken by the university under a community-outreach…

Presents a case study of the Campus Affiliates Program, a collaborative venture designed to revitalize the most severely impoverished sectors of New Orleans (Louisiana). Focuses on processes that created the program; organizing principles; obstacles encountered; and impacts of the program on faculty, students, staff, and institutions. (DSK)

This report presents the findings of an evaluation of a three-year teacher enhancement project from the Social Science Education Consortium (SSEC). Under this project, middle school teachers were recruited and trained to develop and implement integrated science, social studies, and service-learning units in their classrooms. The project offered…

Describes a college organization created to establish a partnership between Trinity College (Connecticut) faculty and students and neighborhood organizing groups. Reviews how faculty and student research skills are used to gather information for prospective projects, organization and actions taken as a result, and basic assumptions underlying the…

Outlines some of the administrative changes included in Temple University's move toward a more community-based education agenda and focuses on one case, Temple Health Connection (THC). THC is an on-site, community- and university-supported medical facility that serves as a locus for community health care, student learning, and faculty research.…

Offers insights gleaned from the 30-year history of outreach and engagement of the University of Nebraska's College of Public Affairs and Community Service. This interdisciplinary college, which promotes research and teaching partnerships with the Omaha community, is now helping its university be part of the community, not simply in it. (EV)

Incorporating a service learning assignment into the public relations course can more strongly increase understanding of concepts because students are forced to apply class theories to a setting with real-world consequences. Specifically, service learning is a form of experiential learning that engages students and faculty in the common good. It…

Describes the Center for Engaged Scholarship at the University of South Florida, which operates from the premise that all scholarly work has potential applications beyond academia. Its activities help faculty to partner with community groups while also meeting the expectations of their departments and disciplines. (EV)

Provides an example of how engagement with a public entity is incorporated into Portland State University's undergraduate curriculum. Details the development of a science-based service learning course that combines academic rigor with a community-based experience. (EV)

This project brief provides a summary of the Community Colleges Broadening Horizons through Service Learning project, supported by the Corporation for National Service and administered by the American Association of Community Colleges. The project was developed to increase the number, quality, and sustainability of service learning programs in…

Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) was created by Purdue University (Indiana) School of Electrical and Computer Engineering to broaden the education of engineering students by the use of an extended service-learning experience integrated into the engineering curriculum. EPICS provides local community service organizations with…