Stylus Publishing (VA) Engaging Higher Education: Purpose, Platforms, and Programs for Community Engagement

Review "Engaging Higher Education is a wonderful and pragmatic resource that presents meticulously collected data from a wide range of institutions of higher education. This is a 'how-to' manual for running a successful center focused on service-learning, though many of the recommendations and practices would benefit an office focused solely on engaged scholarship. From soup to nuts, this book addresses the human and financial resources required, practices that achieve impact, and, perhaps most critical, the theoretical basis for why these practices are necessary for success. It is a must-have resource for anyone running a college or university center for service-learning and academic leaders who want to build stronger support for these initiatives."--Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement (4/11/2018 12:00:00 AM)"Engaging Higher Education provides a compelling look at the recent decades that have shaped a view of the purpose and function of higher education in the United States deeply embedded within its communities. The author not only lays out an historical perspective and carefully defines what he means by engagement, he also provides models for structure and operations that offer a useful guide to those seeking to expand the engagement of their institutions in their communities and in cultural and political movements that form the turbulent environment in which 21st century higher education operates. Dr. Welch does a particular service to higher education by expanding on Ernest Boyer's descriptions of the various forms of scholarship. He offers specific details about the impacts engaged scholarship has on faculty promotion and tenure and gives faculty guidance about how they can effectively lay out the case for their scholarships' value and standards of rigor. If engagement has a strong future in colleges and universities, it must become integrated within the full spectrum of curriculum, inquiry and scholarship, teaching and reward structures for faculty within those colleges and universities. The various forms of engagement from service learning to social justice frameworks for scholarship receive full and thoughtful consideration in the text. While the book makes assumptions about its particular definition of the purpose and form of higher education in the United States, when taken for what its title promises--purpose, platforms and programs for community engagement--rather than a sweeping generalization for all of higher education and its values and roles, it absolutely delivers. The book is not a comprehensive history of American Higher Education and takes a very definite political perspective, but it absolutely delivers. Engaging Higher Education provides a new and much needed guide for institutions and faculty seeking to expand and improve community engagement in their institutions."--Ann Weaver Hart, President "University of Arizona" (1/1/2016 12:00:00 AM)"In Engaging Higher Education: Purpose, Platforms, and Programs for Community Engagement, Marshall Welch discusses the history of community engagement in higher education and argues that engagement is part of its original purpose. The book describes the history of community engagement in higher education, discusses opportunities for it to engage with the community, and concludes with ideas for community engagement programs in higher education. As higher education practitioners and researchers, we enjoyed the comprehensive nature of this book. As a guide to literature about community engagement in higher education, it is a valuable resource for those new to the field and those who are familiar with community engagement. Second, it does an excellent job of tying engagement to the core function or purpose of a university and the higher education system. Third, the volume articulates the different dimensions of how a university that is fully committed to engagement can institutionalize engagement activities. Although not labeled as such, the text prov