The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how action-oriented programs in community engagement are a means for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to advance the needs of their organizations. Advancement occurs through dynamic relationships and partnerships with a variety of community stakeholders. The result of this synergy is the enhancement of quality of life and an improved educational climate, which benefits students, staff, faculty and community members.

1. THE RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP OF
HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND
THEIR COMMUNITIES:
BEST PRACTICES TO START THE DIALOGUE
STEVEN B. PERMUTH, ED.D, PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

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The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how action-oriented programs in community engagement are a means
for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to advance the needs of their organizations. Advancement occurs through
dynamic relationships and partnerships with a variety of community stakeholders. The result of this synergy is
the enhancement of quality of life and an improved educational climate, which benefits students, staff, faculty and
community members.
As HEIs look to the future, they will be faced with complex political, economic and social realities with respect to
their strategic planning process. These forces include technological advances, environmentally directed curricular
change (e.g., changing undergraduate curriculum, financial support shifts, increased governmental scrutiny), and
increased diversity resulting from the internationalization of student populations.
In light of these historical shifts, universities must undertake significant operational changes and create
partnerships with other entities across a variety of business sectors. These changes must go hand-in-hand with a
greater focus on business models, research funding, urban development, creative curricular designs for graduate
and undergraduate levels, modification of reward systems for faculty, and systems of assessments to work within
the changing and challenging environment. Ultimately, HEIs must support community engagement as key to their
mission.
It is important to recognize that the content, size and scope of these community engagements are a reflection of
differences between HEIs. The mission of an HEI is defined by its location and design (e.g., rural vs. urban), direction
(e.g., international vs. local/regional student recruitment), and institutional mission (e.g., teaching vs. research
focus). For example, larger HEIs may focus on global issues and research; therefore, community engagement,
partnerships and outreach will fit the distinct mission of this type of institution.
DEFINING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE CAMPUS/COMMUNITY
CONTEXT
Community engagement enables the partnership of HEIs’ knowledge and resources with those of the public and
private sectors to enrich scholarship, research and creative activity. In addition, community engagement can lead
to enhancement of curricula; new means of teaching and learning; preparation of educated and engaged citizens;
strengthened democratic values and civic responsibility; and an overall contribution to the public good. 2
“By working more closely with these groups to meet challenges and seize
opportunities together, we will make this region a better place in which to live,
work and prosper. And in so doing, we help ourselves by making it easier to
attract and retain talented faculty, staff and students. The key elements of
this strategy revolve around research on urban themes, teaching on urban-
focused topics, local outreach and partnership activities, and the University’s
role in shaping the city-region’s built environment.”
- Meric S. Gertler, President, University of Toronto

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As such, they cannot be reproduced or utilized without permission. ©2016
ESSENTIAL PROGRAMMATIC
ELEMENTS IN COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT MODELS
With this definition of community engagement in mind,
there appear to be a number of essential elements
to making a program successful, even though not all
institutions fit every criterion. Whatever the framework,
all stakeholders must have strong and meaningful
involvement in the creation, design and assessment of the
program. Below are some of the essential components and
considerations of Community Engagement models within
the University context. 3
§§ The stakeholders in any significant community
engagement protocol should include the Board of
Directors, administration, faculty and staff, students
and community leadership. These entities should all play a role in ensuring that community engagement, as
a concept and reality, holds a central place in the long-term or strategic plan of the HEI.
§§ When establishing a new type of community engagement, key areas of consideration include planning
and curriculum development, financial support, fund-raising, recruitment, community transportation and
meeting community needs.
§§ The HEI should consider the creation of a standing office of Community Engagement. At minimum, a strong
cadre of academic and community leadership should be formed to assist in the planning of the program.
Along with this, a well-articulated, formative and summative
plan should be developed for the program and its leadership.
§§ Community engagement must play a continuing role in
publications and product development to ensure communication
of the vision, as well as opportunities for planning and
programming. For example, the HEI can celebrate new
partnerships and recognize community leaders through
luncheons and other events
§§ Recognition of faculty who support community engagement
programs is key, in terms of both financial consideration as
well as faculty evaluation. As one academic researcher notes,
“Faculty members are getting mixed messages about the level
of engagement in which they should be involved. From the top
administration level, faculty are told that they should participate
in outreach and engagement and that it is important; but at the
department level, they are told that, as untenured faculty, they
should refrain from university-community engagement activities
until after tenure.” 4
With all of these criteria in mind, this paper will next highlight some
successful examples of community engagement. While the examples
focus on HEIs in the United States, the models and principles have
global applicability.
According to the Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching, community engagement
is 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.”1

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As such, they cannot be reproduced or utilized without permission. ©2016
EXAMPLES OF COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT IN CAMPUS/
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
HEIs often become engaged in community issues
related to health equity and social justice, as this
is a natural fit for students, faculty and community
stakeholders. More specifically, these issues offer
opportunities for partnerships and evaluative
processes that combine academic rigor with a
business and economic development perspective. Two
such examples are highlighted below, and a large-scale
initiative from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is
also discussed.
Communities for Health Initiative
One robust example
of a multi-stakeholder
community engagement
partnership is the
Communities for
Health initiative,
which includes
Sodexo, the YMCA of Central Florida and Rollins
College. The initiative represents a three-year
pilot program designed to enhance traditional, and
often underutilized, employee wellness programs.
Communities for Health uses a personal and
coordinated approach that engages employees both
at work and at home by providing behavior change
support, which increases the likelihood of individual
success.
The partnership between these entities combines the
powers of one of the largest employers in the world
with one of the most recognized community wellness
organizations in the United States. With such an
influential partnership, this pilot program ultimately
aims to achieve five specific objectives:
1. Engage individuals to participate in a robust
health and wellness program through their
employer, by building a network of support,
both in the workplace and at home;
2. Leverage community health partners and
integrated technology systems to support
health management and incentive-based
rewards for healthy behaviors;
3. Strategically segment the workforce to connect
participants to the appropriate evidence-based
program, based on risk level and readiness to
change;
4. Reduce employee and family health risks
by encouraging healthy behaviors that will
positively impact performance and reduce
healthcare costs; and
5. Leverage healthier behaviors of the employee
to change the behaviors of their neighboring
community.
In Communities for Health, each partner has a unique
role. Sodexo, as a global leader in quality of life
services, brings subject matter expertise in nutrition,
health and wellness, as well as its deep reach across
many different environments within a community.
The YMCA has similar scale and decades of experience
delivering chronic disease prevention programs to
communities across the nation. Rollins College has
been responsible for working with the partners at
every step of the process—planning, implementing
and evaluating:
a. Planning: Rollins College provided input as
to the most effective way to promote the
Communities for Health initiative to their
faculty and staff.
b. Implementation: Rollins College leveraged
their existing network of wellness
champions to promote Communities for
Health and provide ongoing communication
support. Their wellness champions were
required to attend training seminars that
were designed, organized and led by the
Communities for Health project team.
c. Evaluation: The head of Human Resources
at Rollins College is providing baseline
data (i.e., health risk assessment, claims)
to evaluate the impact of Communities for
Health.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Some HEIs make community or civic engagement a
true thread of every part of their organization. For
example, the University of Southern California states,
“Our commitment to community-building can be
seen at every level of the university. It encompasses
the participation of our research facilities, individual
schools, departments and programs, as well as our
hospitals and health centers.” USC Civic Engagement
supports and promotes more than 400 community
initiatives in their local neighborhoods. To exemplify
their commitment to their community, in 2013 they
began to invest $1 billion to improve the university
park campus. This is the largest development of its
kind in the history of South Los Angeles, expected
to bring new businesses and 12,000 jobs to the
neighborhood.
COMMUNITY-CAMPUS
PARTNERSHIPS FOR HEALTH
Other community engagement examples are brought
to life on a much larger scale, such as the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation’s Community-Campus
Partnerships for Health (CCPH). The CCPH initiative
has been in existence for the past 20 years, and has
delineated “principles of partnership” that have served
as a unifying framework that facilitates partnerships
between communities and campuses with the intent
of bringing social justice and health equity to the
constituents. Their conceptual framework and Guiding
Principles are shown below.
“It takes an entire village to create a safe and healthy community. With
Communities for Health, Rollins College plays a vital role in supporting a
culture of health for all its community residents.”
- Nebeyou Abebe, MA, PMP, Senior Director, Health & Well-Being, Sodexo

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As such, they cannot be reproduced or utilized without permission. ©2016
Guiding Principles: The CCPH Principles
of Partnership below are not meant to be
prescriptive or adopted verbatim, but rather to be
used for discussion or as a model for developing
one’s own principles of partnership.
»» The Partnership forms to serve a specific
purpose and may take on new goals over time.
»» The Partnership agrees upon mission, values,
goals, measurable outcomes and processes for
accountability.
»» The relationship between partners in the
Partnership is characterized by mutual trust,
respect, genuineness and commitment.
»» The Partnership builds upon identified
strengths and assets, but also works to address
needs and increase capacity of all partners.
»» The Partnership balances power among
partners and enables resources among
partners to be shared.
»» Partners make clear and open communication an
ongoing priority in the Partnership
by striving to understand each
other’s needs and self-interests, and
developing a common language.
»» Principles and processes for the
Partnership are established with
the input and agreement of all
partners, especially for decision-
making and conflict resolution.
»» There is feedback among all
stakeholders in the Partnership,
with the goal of continuously
improving the Partnership and its
outcomes.
»» Partners share the benefits of the Partnership’s
accomplishments.
»» Partnerships can dissolve, and when they do,
need to plan a process for closure.
»» Partnerships consider the nature of the
environment within which they exist as a
principle of their design, evaluation and
sustainability.
»» The Partnership values multiple kinds of
knowledge and life experiences.
As a result of this work by the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, the Community-Campus
Partnerships for Health Consultancy Network
was established in 2000 to respond to requests
from academic institutions, government
agencies, community-based organizations, and
others seeking training and technical assistance
tailored to their specific needs and assets. CCPH
consultants have provided consultation to over
100 organizations in the U.S., Canada, Australia,
Korea, China and the U.K.

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As such, they cannot be reproduced or utilized without permission. ©2016
SUMMARY
A key goal of forming relationships between campus and community organizations is to build sustainable
relationships that benefit both the university and the community organization. In order to ensure that the
relationships are not only sustainable but also mutually beneficial to all parties, there are some basic principles
outlined in this piece that provide context and guidance. By following these principles, effective campus-community
partnerships can be formed, maintained and understood.
Meaningful community engagement partnerships are integral to the health and viability of HEIs. They provide an
opportunity for students to think critically about civic responsibility, and examine and challenge personal values,
beliefs and opinions. Community partnerships provide a platform for students to ask questions about larger social
issues, share ideas and experiences, challenge current solutions to community issues and develop plans to address
community needs.
When supplementing and enhancing academic course material with civic and community experiences, it is important
that students perform duties that correspond as closely as possible with the academic knowledge they will gain
throughout the semester. The greater the connection between course material and experience, the more meaningful
the experience will be for students. There are so many ways to start this process – community needs assessments
and scans are bountiful, with areas of importance where students and community members alike can partner for real
impact.
REFERENCES
1. Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. (2015). New England Resource Center for Higher Education.
Retrieved from http://www.nerche.org
2. Ramaley, J. (2000). Embracing Civic Responsibility. AAHE Bulletin, 9. Retrieved from http://www.aahea.org/articles/
march00f2.htm
3. Ibid.
4. Baker, D.A. (2001). The Evaluation of University-Community Engagement Scholarship within the College Level
Promotion and Tenure Process (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://theses.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-
05102001-213726/unrestricted/della_ps.pdf
5. Sodexo. (2015). Communities for Health Launch Event: Summary of Proceedings. Retrieved from http://viewer.zmags.
com/publication/dc43c72e
6. University of Southern California. (n.d.). Communities: About. Retrieved from https://communities.usc.edu/about/
7. CCPH Board of Directors. (2013). Position Statement on Authentic Partnerships. Community-Campus Partnerships for
Health. Retrieved from https://ccph.memberclicks.net/principles-of-partnership
8. Community-Campus Partnerships for Health. (n.d.). Consultancy Network. Retrieved from https://ccph.memberclicks.
net/consultancy-network

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