What is Community Engagement?

Community Engagement describes the collaboration between MSU and partnering communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. Click here to learn more at https://ccel.msstate.edu/about/whatis/.

Audio Transcription:

What is community engagement? Community engagement comes in many forms, encompassing service, research and scholarship, and teaching and learning. At its core, working together to make a difference.

Community engagement is a partnership between an MSU representative and a community partner, each contributing to a common goal. These partnerships and goals are diverse and serve a variety of interests while benefiting all parties participating in the project.

Community partners come in all shapes and sizes, and community isn't limited to geography. Rather, community is a group defined by common interests, from policy decisions to mutual hobbies, even culture and beliefs. In community engagement, all parties work and all parties receive a benefit. The partnership benefits both the community partner and the MSU representative, creating knowledge, enhancing existing resources, and improving each other's capacity.

The University's tri-fold mission of service, research, and teaching is a base upon which our community engagement is based. Service learning, volunteering for an organization, co-ops and practicums, and community-based research are all common forms of community engagement. It's a big term, and community engagement encompasses many things.

Remember this, when MSU students, faculty, and staff work together with a community partner to make a change, that's community engagement.