Abstract
How exactly are universities responding to and understanding the demand to engage with communities? A survey of university–community engagement policy and practice across Scotland’s universities revealed a diversity of corporate approach and strategy alongside individual academic and managerial commitment and leadership. But it also revealed persistent pressures and tensions (external and internal) that continued to restrict institutional engagement practices and understanding. Many of those interviewed argued that, given time, universities would become more conversant with both its concept and practice, and that, as a consequence, community engagement would become more integrated into future culture and structure. However, this optimism did not take into consideration some rather fundamental external and internal constraints that inhibit major change in comprehension or incorporation. The paper reports a ‘best practice’ example of a community engagement project that won widespread external recognition, and yet was hived out of the university in response to a lack of institutional commitment. The paper neatly illustrates the dislocation between the rhetoric and practice of community engagement across Scotland’s Higher Education (HE) sector. On a more theoretical level the project provides a critique of dominant learning practice and value. University–community engagement per se reveals fundamental barriers endemic in traditional learning cultures and structures. Whilst recognised by committed academics (and some managers), university cultures fail to accommodate, promote or reward university–community engagement or challenge entrenched scepticism of its scholarly worth.
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Notes
- 1.
The name of the lecturer has been changed to retain anonymity.
- 2.
A world-wide organisation that promotes human rights and local responses to situations of injustice. See: http://www.amostrust.org/ (Accessed 22 July 2009).
- 3.
A comment made by Alex when interviewed.
- 4.
Noted by the judges when selecting the project as winner of a national award in 2007.
- 5.
Demanding that students select 1 or 2 ‘elective modules’ outside their degree discipline.
- 6.
Independent Learning Accounts of £ 200.00 for those earning less than £ 22,000 to access FE or HE (2009).
- 7.
Indeed, its current ‘no fee’ agreement is why the project was offered a room at the fourth community site. Alex was concerned that the cost of modules would deny access to the very communities targeted by the widening access objectives. As he pointed out ‘unless someone is on an ILA or benefit they have to pay £ 145 per module’. It later transpired that ‘leisure industries’ were ineligible for ILA funding and so these concerns were unfounded.
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Acknowledgements
This work was drawn from part of a larger study that also researched university–community engagement in the North East and North West of England. See: ‘University approaches to engagement with excluded communities’ as part of the ESRC ‘Regional Economic Contributions of Higher Education Institutions’ Programme (2007–2009). This Initiative is co-funded by the Higher Education Funding Councils for England and Wales, the Scottish Funding Council and the Department for Education and Learning Northern Ireland.
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Humphrey, L. (2013). University–Community Engagement:. In: Benneworth, P. (eds) University Engagement With Socially Excluded Communities. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4875-0_6
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