Community+engagement+and+the+public+good+-+A+case+study+of+land+grant+universities

**Community engagement and the public good: A case study of land grant universities** Sarah Brackmann, Ph.D. candidate, University of Georgia [sbrackma@uga.edu]

**Keywords:** Commodification, higher education**,** neoliberal narratives, Academic Capitalism, political public good theory  **Track:** Theoretical or conceptual frameworks to advance research **Format:** Research paper  **Date & time:** Thursday 3:20-4:30 **Location:** Salon 10  **Summary:** As a case study, this qualitative research examines the production of public and private goods through community engaged partnerships by studying the impact of market forces and market-like behaviors on the design and implementation of these programs. Boyer (1990) introduced community engagement as a way to transform the academy and promote the public good by developing community-university partnerships that addressed critical societal issues. While neoliberal logics elevated the market, encouraged the downsizing of social welfare programs, and promoted individual responsibility over communal values, community engagement sought to build shared responsibility through reciprocal partnerships. Very little research studies the intersection of these competing narratives within higher education. The conceptual framework for this research design intersects public good theory with Academic Capitalism. Using qualitative methodology, the design examines 6 cases of community engagement from 2 land-grant universities with historically strong public service missions. Data collection involves key stakeholder interviews and document analysis. Initial findings demonstrate different effects of marketization on the studied community engagement partnerships. Both universities experienced significant state budget cuts and reframed their public service narrative to reflect a pursuit of external funding. Site A added economic development to its public service initiatives, while Site B promoted creative solutions to serve the people of the state. Both sites demonstrated varying levels of marketization and privatization, from explicit examples of brand labeling, partnerships with private industry and private donors (high levels) to students or technical assistance to help the non-profit or public sectors become more corporate-like (low levels). These findings suggest that as community partnerships strive to maintain sustainability, reliance on private interests and support competes with the discourse of serving the public good. Marketizing community engagement activities and focusing on partnerships that provide revenue threatens the goals of democratic participation, mutuality, reciprocity, and providing real social change. **References:**  Boyer, B. (1996). The scholarship of engagement//. Journal of Public Outreach, 1//(1), 11-20. <span style="color: black; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">Calhoun, C. (2006). The university and the public good. //Thesis 11//, //84//(1), 7-43. <span style="display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">Dennis, D. (2009). The shepherd, the marketer and the actuary: Education based service-learning and civic engagement as neoliberal governmentalities. In S. Binkley (Ed.), //A Foucault for the 21st //// Century // (pp. 154-172). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. <span style="color: black; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">Sandmann, L. R. (2008). Conceptualization of the scholarship of engagement in higher education: A strategic review, 1996-2006. //Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement//, //12//(1), 91-104. <span style="display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">Slaughter, S., & Rhoades, G. (2004). //Academic capitalism and the new economy: Markets, state, and //// higher education //. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. <span style="color: black; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">Weerts, D. J. & Sandmann, L. R. (2008). Building a two-way street: Challenges and opportunities for community engagement at research universities. //Journal of Higher Education//, //32//(1), 73-106.

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**PDF of presentation:** [|Community Engagement and the Public Good.pdf]

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