Goal
Community engagement results from the purposeful collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, and global) for the mutually-beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.
Community engagement offers the opportunity to contribute to the public good by combining the resources of the University with those of other public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching, and learning; prepare educated and engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; and address critical societal issues.
To be a university engaged with its community requires that we promote, support, recognize, and celebrate the service and engagement of faculty, staff, students, and alumni in local, regional, national, and international communities, demonstrating our commitment to leadership, civic engagement, and global awareness.
To be effective in our engagement, we must also act as a community on campus, supporting and recognizing equity, diversity, and inclusion as key priorities.
Engagement also requires that we promote dialogue and collaboration across departments and divisions, recognizing and supporting the opportunities that come from inter- and cross-disciplinary work. Intercultural competence remains key to engaging our communities in a successful way. Endorsed by The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).
Measures of Success:
- We will see growth in the number and extent of engagement partnerships with the Village of Brockport, City of Rochester, Monroe County, and local rural communities, through active participation in some or all of the following: community advisory boards and volunteer efforts; Town/Gown meetings and initiatives; collaborative events; community internships and partnerships. This will allow us to explore and assess strong community partnerships around areas of critical need, e.g., the development of a community clinic.
- We will develop stronger working relationships with bodies with influence, including some or all of the following: the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council (FLREDC), the Greater Rochester Chamber of the Commerce, the Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE), the Rochester Monroe County Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI), and state and national bodies of relevance to the University.
- We will expand campus-based Lifelong Learning opportunities for community members.
- We will ensure increased opportunities to link all students, including international students, with community support.
- Building on our history and genesis as an institution of higher learning, we will promote increased collaboration with P-12 schools in Brockport, the Rochester City School District, and other local schools (in and out of Monroe County), including private and charter schools, as well as our affiliated REOC, and our local community colleges.
- We will see increased interdivisional and interdepartmental communication around scholarship, curricular and co-curricular events and achievements.
- We will ensure enhanced alumni and external engagement, providing for social and networking activities, and inclusive of meaningful opportunities to contribute time, talent, and funding to the University.
- We will work to achieve Carnegie Foundation Elective Community Engagement Classification or a similar external measure.