Rethinking University-Community Policy Connections

This book re-assesses the societal and pastoral roles of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in order to consider the function that they have in engaging, or responding, to the Vulnerability Agenda. HEIs are increasingly focused on the inclusion of socially deprived individuals on programmes; but also disability assessments; mental health concerns; learning support plans and readiness for employment.

Arguing that HEIs have a significant role to play as a central ‘anchor’ agency in the safeguarding of vulnerable individuals, this book fills in gaps in theoretical, empirical and policy/practice understandings. It explores the changing civic and societal (pastoral) role that HEIs have developed in response to the increasingly important policy area surrounding vulnerability.

This book examines community partnership schools in the USA. Authored by academics and practitioners, it provides an overview of how community schools work in practice, provides a historical context of the model, and demonstrates the importance of the university-community connection in their effective running. Above all, the book showcases how community partnership schools are educational equity solutions that provide support services to underserved students, families, and communities. It will appeal to students and scholars of public administration, public policy, public health, and education, as well as practitioners.

This book addresses the need for a comprehensive reappraisal of what it means to be a ‘civic university’. For two decades the ‘civic’ agenda has been driven by a concern with economic impact and regional economic development. While recognising the importance of these aspects of universities’ civic influence, there is a need to more comprehensively outline how universities can and should make a difference across a wide spectrum of place-based activity, against a background of intensifying global social and environmental challenges. Rooted in collaborative work by the Civic University Network and community-based partners, the book provides a clear logical framework that universities and their partners can use to examine the extent of their civic activities, but also challenges them to use that framework as a starting point for deeper reflection and engagement. It celebrates the actions universities have taken to respond to communities’ needs, and encourages them to think more rigorously about what they can do in the future, and how they can become more accountable to the communities they serve. The book is an essential read for university leaders, academics involved in public engagement, and civic leaders and representatives who wish to develop closer engagement with their local universities.

Providing a comprehensive overview of volunteer involvement in UK universities, this book addresses a distinct and substantive policy and management issue. Offering examples of volunteer involvement with students, staff, alumni and communities from 148 UK Higher Education Institutions, it provides important background to understanding volunteer involvement. It also introduces key concepts for critically assessing ways in which those who seek to involve volunteers can respond to rapidly changing environments. Drawing on a combination of theoretical perspectives and practical experiences the book systematically explores approaches based on the current structures of volunteer involvement in UK universities, which provides accessible insights for Higher Education Institutions into how they can effectively organise volunteer involvement and maximise its societal impact. Developing 10 indicators with measures to evidence universities’ strategic approaches and achievements in community-university relations, the book offers practical ways to plan, enable, monitor, and assess the impact of volunteer involvement in universities.