A report released today lays out the promise and pitfalls to expanding and institutionalizing civic engagement within research universities.

The report, “New Times Demand New Scholarship II: Research Universities and Civic Engagement — Opportunities and Challenges,” calls on universities to become more community-minded by, among other strategies, offering incentives to faculty members who propose innovative courses on or research into civic engagement, appointing a senior academic leader to promote scholarship on pressing public problems, and establishing and maintaining mutually beneficial university-community partnerships.

Written by Timothy K. Stanton, a lecturer in public policy at Stanford University, the report is the result of discussions held by 23 universities convened by Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges committed to advancing social responsibility and public service on their campuses. It also highlights existing models of community engagement. —Karin Fischer