What is Scholarly Engagement?
The concept of Engagement provides an opportunity to reexamine the nature and the depth of the connection between our universities and our communities. Engagement is a deeper relationship, based, not on a traditional model of the expert faculty who is the source of knowledge, but a new model of faculty as a partner. By acknowledging the strength and the unique capacities of the citizenry, and by working as equal partners, we can create deeper understandings that benefit both the public and the institution.
Engagement is considered scholarly when it meets rigorous standards for peer review and documentation of methods and impacts. The Faculty Senate Outreach Council and the Office of Outreach are working together to support and enhance Scholarly Engagement on our campus and help University of Massachusetts Amherst achieve greater distinction as an engaged institution.
In 2006, the Faculty Senate Outreach Council commissioned a White Paper and developed the following definition to promote a consistent understanding of Scholarly Engagement and how quality is determined:
Scholarly Engagement is the creation, integration, application and transmission of knowledge for the benefit of external audiences and the University and occurs in all areas of the University Mission: research, teaching and service. The quality and value of Scholarly Engagement is determined by academic peers and community partners.
