Understanding Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC) Definition: A Comprehensive Overview

The concept of community university engaged scholarship has emerged over the past two decades as part of the continuing dialogue on the nature of knowledge and the role of academic institutions in society. Conducting scholarship that is mutually beneficial for the university scholar and for the community is a topic of great interest to members of the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC).

Defining Engagement Scholarship

Engaged scholarship can be defined as scholarly activities focused on the social, civic, economic, educational, artistic, scientific, environmental, and cultural well-being of people and places beyond the academy. The scholarship of engagement is defined by relationships between those in the university and those outside the university to generate knowledge to address social issues grounded in the qualities of reciprocity, mutual respect, shared authority, and co-creation of goals and outcomes.

At The University of Alabama, the scholarship of engagement is defined as a partnership that joins together the specialized knowledge of the campus with the practical knowledge of the public to solve critical problems of interest to both.

Key Elements of Engaged Scholarship

Several key elements characterize engaged scholarship:

Reciprocity: Relationships must be mutually beneficial, ensuring that both the academic institution and the community gain from the partnership.
Mutual Respect: Recognizing and valuing the knowledge, skills, and assets that each partner brings to the collaboration.
Shared Authority: Decision-making should be collaborative, with authority distributed among all partners.
Co-creation of Goals and Outcomes: Objectives and results are jointly developed, reflecting the needs and priorities of all stakeholders.
Focus on Societal Well-being: Addressing critical social, civic, economic, educational, artistic, scientific, environmental, and cultural issues affecting communities.

The Role of the Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC)

The Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC) is composed of higher education institutions working to promote strong university-community partnerships that are anchored in the rigor of scholarship and designed to help build community capacity. The ESC Scholarship Committee has been charged with the role of helping to facilitate this outcome for higher education faculty.

Activities and Initiatives of the ESC

The ESC undertakes various activities to promote and support engaged scholarship:

Funding Opportunities: Providing grants focused on or directly related to engaged scholarship. These grants support projects that address significant community engagement needs, advance knowledge in the field, and promote collaboration between institutions and communities.
Awards and Recognition: Recognizing exemplary engaged scholarship through awards programs. Nominations are reviewed by a selection committee, with recommendations approved by the ESC Awards Committee and Board.
Online Portal: Managing submissions and providing resources through an online portal.
Emerging Engagement Scholars Workshop (EESW): Supporting the development of emerging scholars in the field.
Conference Leadership Committee: Organizing and leading conferences to disseminate knowledge and best practices in engaged scholarship.
Online Communication and Community Committee: Facilitating communication and community-building among ESC members.

Michigan State University's Leadership in Engagement Scholarship

Michigan State University (MSU) has been a leader in promoting engagement scholarship, demonstrating best practices through partnerships and initiatives.

Historical Context

MSU was an earlier leader in demonstrating this work through their partnership with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in the 1990s. Michigan State became an early partner with Ohio State, Penn State, University of Wisconsin - Extension and University of Georgia on the National Outreach Scholarship Conference in the early 2000s. That conference evolved into the Engagement Scholarship Consortium, which involves universities from across the United States and several other countries. Members from Michigan State have been leaders in the APLU Council on Engagement and Outreach.

Key Contributions

Early Engagement Classification: In 2006, Carnegie selected MSU as one of the first institutions in the nation to be designated as a "community-engaged university" using its new Community Engagement Classification criteria. The selection included recognition in curricular engagement as well as outreach and partnerships-the highest achievement possible within the classification framework.
Leadership in the ESC: Dr. Fitzgerald was instrumental in helping this organization incorporate and served as its founding president through September 2015. MSU continues to be a vital voice within the ESC.
Publications: In 2010, MSU Press launched the Transformations in Higher Education: The Scholarship of Engagement book series. The series is designed to provide a forum for engaged scholars whose work better fits monograph or book length outlets than journal articles.
Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship (ACES): Fitzgerald and Bargerstock were part of a "think tank" that led to the founding of the Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship (ACES) in 2012. ACES recognizes and contributes to high quality scholarship that, in collaboration with participating community partners, has a positive impact on complex societal needs and issues.
Consultations and Presentations: MSU's emphasis on scholarship-driven community engagement has resulted in numerous invited presentations and consultations about the MSU model.

Colorado State University's Commitment to Engaged Scholarship

Colorado State University (CSU) also demonstrates a strong commitment to engaged scholarship through various initiatives and recognitions.

Key Achievements

Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement: CSU earned the Carnegie Foundation’s Classification for Community Engagement designation in 2008, 2015, and again in 2026. The classification is a rigorous nationally reviewed process and documents important aspects of institutional mission, identity and commitments to engaged scholarship.
Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) Universities Designation: In 2016, CSU earned the Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) Universities Designation from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.
Community Engagement Scholarship Awards: Colorado State University recognizes exemplary community engagement through its prestigious Community Engagement Scholarship Awards, celebrating partnerships that advance knowledge, address societal challenges, and create mutual benefit.

Continuum of Engaged Scholarship

Introduced in 2019, the Continuum of Engaged Scholarship is a framework to identify the breadth of engaged research, teaching and service activities. Engaged scholars at CSU co-create solutions and new knowledge with communities, while offering a model to individual faculty and departments for documenting progress, demonstrating and evaluating impact.

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Funding and Support for Engaged Scholarship

Several avenues exist for funding and supporting engaged scholarship initiatives:

ESC Research/Creative Activities Grants Program: The Engaged Scholarship Research/Creative Activities Grants Program for Faculty and Staff is providing financial support that helps facilitate positive outcomes for both scholars and communities. Faculty and staff from ESC Member Institutions may apply for up to $5,000 to fund a one-year project.
University-Specific Funding: Institutions like Colorado State University provide funding through awards programs to support impactful engagement initiatives.

Criteria for Funding

Projects seeking funding for engaged scholarship typically need to demonstrate:

Project Description: A clear and comprehensive description of the project, emphasizing the significance of the community engagement issue being addressed and the potential for generating new insights, practices, or outcomes that benefit both the community and the field.
Project Relevance: Describe how the project addresses a significant community engagement need or opportunity. Clearly explain the relevance of the target issue to the community or communities involved and provide a strong justification for the project’s necessity and timeliness.
Significance in the Field of Community Engagement: Explain how the project will advance knowledge, practice, or innovation in the field of community engagement, including its potential to serve as a model, inform policy or practice, or contribute to broader systemic change.
Stakeholder Inclusion & Their Role: Identify all key community and institutional stakeholders involved in the project and describe their roles and responsibilities. Demonstrate a strong commitment to collaboration, reciprocity, and shared decision-making that values the knowledge, skills, and assets of all partners.
Project Objectives, Measurement, and Dissemination: Present well-defined objectives that are grounded in community engagement principles. Provide a clear methodology for measuring progress and outcomes (including formative and summative evaluation) and outline a comprehensive plan for disseminating findings to both community stakeholders and the broader field.
Project Budget: Provide a detailed and realistic budget that clearly explains how awarded funds will be allocated across project components. Demonstrate a sound financial strategy that ensures resources are used efficiently and equitably, with attention to sustaining community engagement beyond the grant period.
Project Timeline: Present a clear, realistic timeline that reflects an understanding of the phases of community engagement work. Include well-defined milestones and achievable deliverables within the proposed timeframe and demonstrate effective project management that is responsive to community contexts.

Scholarship on and for Engagement

Scholarship on or about engagement involves the study of the processes and/or outcomes of collaboration, decision-making, research, and action within the relationship between scholars and communities. The partnerships or engagement dynamics, and their implications for organizational change, are the subjects of the study.

Scholarship for engagement is undertaken to prepare for and support engagement between higher education scholars and communities toward specific social actions, outcomes, and impacts. Saltmarsh, J.

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