Overview

Responsibility: Institutional Effectiveness

Key Stakeholder(s): Faculty, Students, Community

Goal and Rationale

Goal: To measure community engagement and ensure all students use real-world projects to benefit society and local, regional/state, national, or global communities.

Rationale: Community engagement, as defined by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, describes the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. This highly aligns with the commitments of the strategic plan and therefore measures related to the application for an elective classification of community engagement through the foundation will be utilized.

Definition and Collection Plan

Formal Definition: The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good. The assessment of the impact on (1) students, (2) faculty, (3) community, and (4) institution will be developed and validated along with tracking of courses designated as service learning courses, with specific measures on department, faculty, and student involvement.

Frequency:  Annually

Comparison Group(s): 3-year Historical Trend 

Analysis

Variables: Unique Student & Faculty Participants / Course Participation

Audiences:  Faculty, Staff / Students