HE Community Engagement Hub

What is higher education community engagement?

‘Higher education community/public engagement’ describes partnerships between universities and members of the public, schools and the wider community.

The community in question could be geographic (e.g. the community local to the university, a village in Kenya) or a community of interest (e.g. disabled people, refugees).

This proactive ‘community/public engagement’ and ‘outreach’ work, which takes place locally, nationally and internationally, complements universities’ primary contribution to society – their teaching and research.

Higher education community engagement embraces the following activities:

  • educational projects such as sessions for schools and colleges, subject-specific road-shows, science festivals, public lectures, radio shows, museums and collections, online resources, and courses for adults;
  • musical performances and theatre organised by a university for the public to enjoy;
  • fundraising activities and donations to charity made by universities and their students or staff;
  • goods and facilities lent to community organisations or opened to the community;
  • student-run projects for members of the community particularly those facing social, cultural, economic and/or educational barriers, for example Student Action for Refugees;
  • staff and students lending their expertise to, or carrying out research for, community organisations – for example, law students working as advisers at the Citizens Advice Bureau or academics sitting on committees addressing issues of national and international importance;
  • work experience and placements in the University for people of many ages and backgrounds, including those with learning difficulties;
  • staff and students volunteering for a huge range of activities, from mentoring homeless people to giving talks in schools.

There is no consensus on what this type of activity should be called, and what exactly terms such as ‘community engagement’, ‘public engagement’ or ‘outreach’ encompass.

Why do it?

Community engagement should be mutually beneficial equal partnerships between communities and universities.

Universities have a vested interest in these community activities because they:

  • encourage enthusiasm for subjects suffering from declining uptake at secondary school, such as modern languages and physics;
  • lead to new opportunities for learning and research;
  • communicate universities’ work to the public;
  • develop and maintain good relationships with the communities in which we live and work;
  • provide learning and personal development and enrichment opportunities for students and staff;
  • encourage applications to university from under-represented groups;
  • contribute to the local economy and increase social cohesion and active citizenship, with the practical benefits they bring to universities;
  • improve recruitment, retention and diversification of students and staff.

Community engagement benefits individuals and organisations in the community in many ways, including by:

  • facilitating the utilisation of University resources, skills, research and expertise by members of the public;
  • encouraging members of the public to be aware and take advantage of the educational opportunities available to them;
  • providing community organisations with a source of labour and expertise.

 

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See also: Information and outcomes from the Higher Education Community Engagement Conference 2005, which took place on Monday 14th November at the Manchester Conference Centre.

Outcomes

This website aims to provide a resource for community engagement practitioners and managers in UK Higher Education Institutions to share information and good practice.