What We’re Reading: New Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement Issue

We recommend reading the latest issue of the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement (JHEOE), a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal  published by the University of Georgia. JHEOE is dedicated to advancing theory and practice related to outreach and engagement between higher education and communities.

In the latest issue, volume 21, No. 2, JHEOE authors address opposing perspectives on the purpose of engagement and tensions and contradictions in the relationships between communities and universities, among many other topics. Authors view community engagement from multiple conceptual perspectives, including community-based learning, collaborative relationships and faculty development and engagement as a strategy for justice. The reflective essays, research articles, projects, and book reviews in this issue provide new insight into challenges and explore problems to an even greater depth.

The journal is available here.

Reflective Essays:

• The Concept and Context of the Engaged University in the Global South: Lessons from Latin America to Guide a Research Agenda (Susan Appe, Nadia Rubaii, Sebastian Líppez-De Castro, Stephen Capobianco)
• University-Community Partnership Models: Employing Organizational Management Theories of Paradox and Strategic Contradiction (Amanda Marie Bowers)

Research Articles:

• A Prestudy Curricula-as-Research Model for Scholarship of Engagement: Combining Continuous Service with Discontinuous Learning (Sherrie Steiner)
• Undergraduate Learning through Engaged Scholarship and University-Community Partnerships (Kristen Tarantino)
• Faculty Development for Advancing Community Engagement in Higher Education: Current Trends and Future Directions (Marshall Welch, Star Plaxton-Moore)

Projects with Promise:

• Evolution of a Social Media-Driven Campus-Community Partnership: Collaborative Learning at The Knowledge Café (Susan A. Baim)
• Evaluating Reactions to Community Bridge Initiative Pilot Classes (Julie Koldewyn, Roslynn Brain, Kate Stephens)

Book Reviews:

• Academics Going Public: How to Write and Speak Beyond Academe (Kristina Killgrove)
• Engaging in Social Partnerships: Democratic Practices for Campus-Community Partnerships (Frank A. Fear)
• Educating for Civic-Mindedness: Nurturing Authentic Professional Identities Through Transformative Higher Education (Novella Zett Keith)

Upcoming ETS Forum: Innovations in Conceptualizing and Assessing Civic Competency and Engagement in Higher Education

On Wednesday, November 4, 2015 ETS is holding a research forum dedicated to Innovations in Conceptualizing and Assessing Civic Competency and Engagement in Higher Education.

The forum will showcase Judith Torney-Purta, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, University of Maryland College Park; Katrina Roohr, Ed.D., Associate Research Scientist, Higher Education, Educational Testing Service; and Ou Lydia Liu, Ph.D., Director of Research, Higher Education, Educational Testing Service, authors of “Assessing Civic Competency and Engagement in Higher Education: Research Background, Frameworks, and Directions for Next-Generation Assessment,” (September 2015) in discussing the issues of civic competency and engagement.

The presentations by the authors will be followed by a discussion with Peter Levine, Associate Dean for Research and Lincoln Filene Professor of Citizenship & Public Affairs in Tufts University’s Jonathan Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service.

For more information and to register click here.

What We’re Reading: Realizing STEM Equity and Diversity through Higher Education-Community Engagement

The new National Science Foundation-Supported White Paper “Realizing STEM Equity and Diversity through Higher Education-Community Engagement” (January 2015) is what we’re reading.

The purpose of this white paper is to present a promising approach to advancing equity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through higher education-community engagement. This paper will advance both the understanding and practice in the field by presenting key findings and recommendations for effective higher education-community engagement in STEM.

This paper is the product of a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to the University of Pennsylvania, which supported an international workshop on the role of institutions of higher education in fostering P-20+ community engagement through knowledge production, human capacity building (including broadening participation and the integration of research and education), innovation, and social cohesion. This white paper summarizes the learning and knowledge generated through the international workshop held in the U.S., as well as a second international meeting held in South Africa.

Authored by Ira Harkavy, Nancy Cantor and Myra Burnett, this paper concludes with a series of recommendations, derived from the two international workshops, which have powerful implications for significantly enhancing STEM equity, driving broader participation and producing better science. Moreover, the findings in this white paper demonstrate the value of learning and collaboration on a global basis for reducing inequalities in STEM in communities throughout the world.

A PDF of the white paper can be found here.