Public engagement at Oregon State University is collaboration between OSU and its larger community* for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. This process of co-creation has the potential for broader impacts, benefitting society or advancing desired societal outcomes. According to the Carnegie Foundation, “engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.”
The scholarship of public engagement refers to a host of evidence-based practices cutting across disciplinary boundaries and teaching, research, and public engagement functions, intentional efforts to connect knowledge generated through faculty activity directly to the public in ways that collaboratively address social issues and community needs and concerns and sharing of impacts on multiple platforms to diverse audiences. It is a process by which scholars communicate to and work both for and with communities. It is reciprocal and mutually beneficial.
As an R1 land-grant university and primary anchor institution for the state, Oregon State University is committed to its tripartite mission of research, teaching, and public engagement. Although public engagement at land-grant universities was once viewed as limited to, or the sole responsibility of, the cooperative extension system, the most recent OSU strategic plan highlights the importance of broadening “our distinction in collaborative, team-based and solutions-oriented work” (p.3); this is evident in the updated goals to be a university “focused on big discoveries that drive big solutions” and “that fuels a thriving world” (p.4).
*Community encompasses stakeholders internal and external to academia, including students, the general public, private industry, government, and non-profit organizations.
Framework
The original collective impact framework (Kania & Kramer, 2011) is criticized as being transactional and top-down (Wolff, 2016), notably oversimplified and lacking a true collaborative approach. In response, Cabaj and Weaver (2016) proposed a reframing of the five conditions of collective impact, whereby community engagement is central.
To that end, Oregon State University has adopted a framework for the scholarship of public engagement that incorporates the updated conditions of collective impact, integrated across four key constructs – Partnerships, Pedagogy, Practice, Publishing -- guiding the work of faculty, staff, and students. This framework is not intended to be a comprehensive explanation of community-engaged scholarship, but rather a guide for individuals and teams seeking to incorporate best practices, identify common metrics, and contribute to a shared narrative of broader impacts.
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Construct |
Description |
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Partnerships |
Public engagement should be conducted for the good of the public, in a way that leverages the knowledge and experience while respecting the needs and concerns of all parties involved. Partnerships take time and intentionality, with the ultimate goal of trust, shared aspirations, and mutual benefit. |
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Pedagogy |
Public engagement should be adaptable to many different programs and projects, providing faculty with more room to creatively explore nontraditional scholarship in a traditional academic environment. |
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Practice |
Public engagement should be a democratic practice because it is often collaborative, participatory, and characterized by knowledge sharing between academic and community partners. |
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Publishing |
Public engagement should result in diverse products (including reports, exhibits, installations, clinical service procedures, programs, events, court briefings, and legislation) and embrace multiple career paths because publicly engaged scholars should be encouraged to have their own agency and the flexibility to explore nontraditional paths to community engagement. |
This framework is intended to complement the Continuum of Engagement Matrix, which offers examples of teaching, research, and outreach along a range of interventions. This is not a comprehensive list of activities and methods by which to engage; it is expected that faculty, teams, departments, and colleges will identify additional, relevant examples and operationalize engagement to complement their existing strategic goals.
