About Us
(1) The Engaged University
A truly engaged university dedicates itself to strengthening our democratic way of life by sharing its human and physical resources with the larger community that is its home. It helps students acquire the skills they need for civic participation and provides them with opportunities to hone those skills in partnership with others. It conducts research to solve public problems and advances our collective knowledge and well-being by disseminating the results.
An engaged university does not simply ”exist“ in a community, but becomes an integral part of the community’s life, working in partnership with its citizens to improve the lives of the individuals who reside there, and the community itself. Students can develop a life-long commitment to realizing the promise of our democracy through a variety of service-learning courses, community-based research and co-curricular community service opportunities. At the University of Maryland, we connect our engagement efforts with the Land Grant Tradition of Maryland Cooperative Extension.
More on the Engaged University model:
- Campus Compact
- Thomas Ehrlich’s ”Civic Engagement“
- Judith Ramaley’s Keynote Address: ”Seizing the Moment: Creating a Changed Society and University Through Outreach“
- Harry Boyte — ”Everyday Politics and Civic Engagement“
- Kellogg Foundation Learning In Deed, National Commission on Service-Learning
- Kellogg Foundation — ”Learning In Deed: The Power of Service-Learning for American Schools, Executive Summary“