The challenge & consequences: Higher education organizations (HEOs) invest in service-learning, internships, and community-based research, which generally require partnerships with community organizations. However, the impact of these programs on the community partners remains poorly understood. This results in a poor understanding of the potential benefits and/or costs to community organizations of these partnerships. Description: To address this, we conducted a mixed-methods embedded case study, examining community partners’ experiences within a place-based engagement program at a four-year urban university in the Southwest. Findings & reflection: Focus groups revealed that student volunteers were valuable to community partners, but challenges in coordination were prevalent. Additionally, the alignment between the program’s goals and mission varied among partners. Focus groups also revealed a two-dimensional understanding of community partners’ experiences, categorized by engagement and knowledge. Survey results added nuance and breadth to these findings while providing a more detailed assessment of costs and benefits for community partners. Findings suggest that HEOs can leverage this two-dimensional understanding, prioritize mission alignment, and emphasize assessment and mitigation of costs to better support community partner organizations.
Barringer, S., Grabsch, D. K., Anderson, C., Desta, K. W., & Hinduja, S. (2025). The intersection of knowledge and engagement: Patterns in community partners’ experiences with a place-based community engagement program. Metropolotin Universities Journal, 36(3), 27-55. doi: 10.18060/29065
Dustin K. Grabsch, Ph.D. 