Knowledge in Action: University-Community Engagement in Australia

by Kathryn Anderson (editor), Isabelle Bartkowiak-Théron (Editor)

University-Community engagement is an important part of a nation's social and economic development. An increasing focus on how knowledge is exchanged has encouraged many universities to consider their relationship and engagement with local communities. More than ever, universities are developing strategies for engaging with business, industry, government, and community, and recognise the role that they can play in the exchange of knowledge. With authorship drawn from community partners and universities, this book highlights the challenges of this engagement and outlines how well Australian universities defy these obstacles. This multi-disciplinary collection is inspired by the extraordinary, innovative, and creative projects being carried out throughout Australia. Each chapter reflects the mutually beneficial relationships that institutions have with their communities. Knowledge in University-Community Engagement in Australia comes at a time of critical change in higher education across Australia, where requests for increased rationalisation call for a bold re-conceptualisation of how university-community engagement is seen, how it is done, how its impact is perceived by communities, and how it can be effectively measured. This collection explores such issues by providing exemplars of how universities are successfully involved with social, professional and business communities, and how this active engagement has the potential to produce positive and sustainable socio-economic change.

280 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2014