Texas Tech Sets First Community Engagement Conference
March 3, 2009
Event will focus on research, teaching and service outreach activities that address societal needs.
Successful universities reach beyond their campuses to share their expertise. Texas
Tech has a long history of engaging with the community and is making a concerted effort
to increase outreach in the areas of research, service and teaching.
To that end, Texas Tech University System is hosting the first Community Engagement Conference March 27. The conference features speakers who will bring a national perspective
on community engagement. The conference, “Community-Engaged Scholarship: What Does
it Mean and Why Does it Matter,” is set from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Texas Tech Student
Union Building. Texas Tech, Angelo State University and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center will all participate. The conference is open to the public.
“We are proud of the way our universities reach out to elevate the quality of life
for communities in Texas and people all over the world,” said Chancellor Kent Hance.
“We need to further these efforts and learn how to better share our knowledge and
resources with those who can benefit from them.”
In 2006, Texas Tech was one of the first 62 institutions and the first university
in Texas to earn the Carnegie Foundation’s classification for Community Engagement.
In 2007 and 2008 the university was named to the Corporation for National and Community
Service President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Texas Tech is one
of 20 institutions in the state to receive the 2008 honor. Read More.
Community engagement takes many forms including service learning, where classes, as
part of their semester’s work, do projects to benefit non-profit organizations or
researchers working with community leaders and industry to solve a variety of problems.
“We hope this conference helps our faculty at all three universities not only define
and assess community engagement, but also to understand the interest of federal funding
agencies in documenting the societal impact of research,” said Matt Baker, conference
chair and dean of the College of Outreach and Distance Education.
Keynote Presentations Include:
- Carnegie’s 2008 Community Engagement Classification: Profile of Institutional Strengths and Challenges presented by Amy Driscoll, consulting scholars at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
- Service Learning: Strengthening Higher Education and Closing the Gaps, presented by Patricia Paredes, executive director of the Texas Campus Compact.
- Engaging Engagement: The Kentucky Experience presented by Phil Greasley, associate provost for university engagement at the University of Kentucky.