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About UNC Engagement               

 ACE Team Fall 2019

What is Community Engagement?

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching provides the most widely acknowledged definition of engagement:

Community engagement describes the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.

At UNC, the purpose of community 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. (2015 Carnegie Elective Community Engagement Classification)           

Community and Civic Engagement at UNC

Community and civic engagement has long been a hallmark of education at UNC, enhancing learning at the intersection of academic and community partnerships in ways that bring groundbreaking solutions for a changing world. UNC’s commitment to engaging students, faculty, academic affairs professionals, staff, and community in mutually beneficial and reciprocal learning and partnerships is reflected in UNC's Strategic Planning (9 Core Plans)

The Office of Engagement focuses on three key areas of academic engagement:

  • Engaged teaching and learning
  • Engaged research, scholarship, and creative works (RSCW)
    Community engaged partnerships

Academic Engagement Ethos

Raise understanding of academic engagement and community-based learning pedagogies by valuing diverse disciplinary and instructional approaches.

Assume a scholarly and collaborative approach to explore and research engagement; promote learning communities and foster debate from disciplinary perspectives.

Ascribe to a rigorous and ongoing assessment plan that continually informs our practices and measures the impact of institutional engagement for students, faculty, curriculum, and community.

Incentivize efforts and support commitment to increase access to training, research and scholarly activities in engagement. Offer and collaborate on internal awards, support external funding.

Maintain open and transparent communication with on and off campus constituents and communities in the co-creation of knowledge.

Annual Report
CCE Annual Report 2017-2018