Higher Education Institution- Community Engagement

It is critical to highlight the community engagement work that is currently taking place between higher education institutions (HEIs) and communities. HEIs are emphasizing the need to strengthen community relationships, and this is often referred to as the “third mission” of HEIs. This is often reflected through formal partnerships or other engagement activities with community members, organizations, etc.

HEI-community partnerships for sustainability specifically coincide with HEIs’ expanded mission to address real-world societal challenges. These types of engaging partnerships aim to:

  • Use multiple ways of thinking and knowledge to generate unique solutions to complex problems
  • Develop relevant solutions for the local community
  • Provide an informed evidence-base from which to make critical decisions
  • Build the capacity of local community members
  • Inform both research and practice

HEI-Community Engagement Work in Action

The Environmental Sustainability Research Centre at Brock University currently has 7 formalized partnerships, each with their own purpose and collaborative team.

Click here to learn more about HEI-community engagement from Brock University Environmental Sustainability Research Centre’s Innovative partnerships!

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Building Sustainable Communities: Creating Connections for the Future Copyright © 2022 by Ryan Plummer; Amanda Smits; Samantha Witkowski; Bridget McGlynn; Derek Armitage; Ella-Kari Muhl; and Jodi Johnston is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book