Building the Field of Higher Education Engagement

Reviews / Votes

"Grounded in principles of mutuality, diversity and inclusion, integrity, and purpose, this book is a must-read for campus leaders. With an all-star group of scholars, this book synthesizes wisdom to inform our engagement with society. Colleges and universities cannot meet their missions of developing critical thinking, leadership, and moral citizens without this type of engagement in our communities."

Adrianna Kezar, Dean's Professor of Leadership, University of Southern California; Codirector, Pullias Center; and Director, Delphi Project

"Broad in scope, insightful, and comprehensive, this volume chronicles a critical movement that is profoundly shaping higher education. For anyone in the engagement field, from the most experienced to those just starting their careers, this is the must-have centerpiece for their professional library."

George L. Mehaffy, Vice President for Academic Leadership and Change

American Association of State Colleges and Universities

"The editors have done all of higher education a significant favor in curating this remarkable collection of classic essays. Enriched with commentaries from some of today's thought leaders and inspiring practitioners, this volume truly sets a foundation for reclaiming the public and democratic purposes of higher education."

Paul C. Pribbenow, President

Augsburg University

"Everything you needed to know about the scholarship of engagement can be found in this volume. This remarkable book plumbs the depths of critical social problems and how higher education is using not only its head but also its heart to help solve them."

Samory T. Pruitt, Vice President, Division of Community Affairs, The University of Alabama; and President, Engagement Scholarship Consortium

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"Building the Field of Higher Education Engagement: Foundational Ideas and Future Directions presents twelve landmark articles from 1996-2012 that contributed significantly to the emergence of the field of engagement. Along with the articles, the book presents updated commentaries and responses by the original authors or noted scholars to the questions they proposed. The format of this publication is thoughtful as each chapter presents conversation-provoking questions about engagement across academic disciplines. In addition, Chapter 13 is a prospective look into the future. Nine authors provide their insights to what engagement may look like in the next two decades.

This book is valuable... as it strives to rethink the work of the academy. Lorilee Sandmann states that colleges and universities remain one of the greatest hopes for intellectual and civic progress because they search for answers in light of pressing problems. Furthermore, higher education in its highest ideals is committed to the scholarship of engagement. She defines engaged scholarship as a mutual relationship between academia and the community that leaves a positive legacy for all partners. These concepts challenge established notions about higher education."

The Wabash Center Journal on Teaching

"Building the Field of Higher Education Engagement provides a comprehensive record of the arguments made in favor of community engagement scholarship in the past, present, and future. As a result, the book is well suited for those just beginning their careers. It is also an important resource for more experienced professionals who may need to step away from their own activity in order to consider the larger issues, trends, and themes that drove the growth of the field, along with challenges encountered along the way. For scholars approaching promotion decisions, the book provides critical documentation of the significance and historical record of how community engagement advances the democratic purposes of higher education, particularly when read alongside complementary texts (Ayers, 2004; Dean, Johnson & Lhumann, 2019; Overton, Pasque,& Burkhardt, 2017; Stoecker, 2016). Adding such detail into tenure and promotion dossiers helps committee members better understand and appreciate the rigor, philosophy, and values associated with engaged scholarship."

Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement