About Engaged Institutions
American colleges and universities are major assets for cities and regions and hold enormous potential to help solve society’s most pressing challenges. Over the past 20 years, there has been a great push for these institutions to be more responsive and engaged in what happens outside their institutional walls. This means being better neighbors by more thoroughly integrating civic engagement within their organizational structures and practices, and their research, teaching, and outreach activities. A key question for advocates for the “engaged institution” is: how can we produce this sort of deep organizational transformation?
Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Engaged Institutions project seeks to provide answers to this question. PolicyLink, a national research and action institute based in Oakland, California, is the national evaluator of the project and the developer and maintainer of this website. Read More
Latest News
- A shopping center building on Minneapolis’ North Side is currently being transformed into a University of Minnesota community outreach facility that officials predict will be open for business this fall, the Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center (UROC). A promised community development agreement, however, remains in the planning phase. Read More. (6/15/09)
- Millions of California students and teachers will gain free access to University of California quality online college prep courses and online lessons through a new partnership between University of California College Prep (UCCP) and the K-12 High Speed Network, a high-speed, high-bandwidth statewide network that reaches over five million California students and educators. Read More. (6/3/09)
- The University of Georgia was recently awarded the 2009 Outreach Scholarship W.K. Kellogg Foundation Engagement Award for its Archway Partnership program. Through Archway, a community identifies needs and the University of Georgia brings its resources in to help the community address those needs. Read More. (6/1/09)
- An article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, "In Texas, Transfer Students Get an Extra Pat on the Back" outlines two statewide programs in Texas — one aimed at college employees and the other at students and their families to increase the numbers of students who make successful transfers from two-year to four-year higher education. Read More. (5/26/09)
- Victor Rubin, Vice President for Research at PolicyLink recently contributed to a chapter in a new book out of the Penn Institute for Urban Research, Retooling HUD for a Catalytic Federal Government. The Chapter, titled "Anchor Institutions as Partners in Building Successful Communities and Local Economies" focuses on the importance of anchor institutions to local economies, HUD potential role in fully tapping into these resources. (5/14/09)
- On July 8 – July 11, 2009 the No Better Time: Promising Opportunities in Deliberative Democracy for Educators and Practitioners conference will take place at The University of New Hampshire. The conference will
focus on citizen participation and deliberative practices
for educators and practitioners and in communities, government, and on campuses.
(5/11/09)
See "News Archive" in "Resources" section for previously posted news items.
