On February 26-27, the institute will host The Research University Civic Engagement Network, a group representing nearly 40 research universities, in an annual conference that will focus on civic engagement practices in higher education.
Campus Compact’s TRUCEN was founded because: “Most universities were founded with a civic purpose. They have a fundamental obligation to apply their skills, resources, and energy to address the most challenging issues in society. Research universities have a special role to play.” In 2005, a group of scholars from research-intensive universities gathered to discuss how to advance community engagement and community-engaged scholarship in research universities like Washington University.
The Gephardt Institute will host civic engagement leaders and scholars from research universities such as Stanford, Duke, Georgetown, Tulane, the University of Wisconsin, Northwestern and others. The conference agenda includes sessions on the role of universities in fostering social justice, student political advocacy, and institutional diversity and inclusion. Workgroup sessions will also explore how to support faculty research for societal impact and how to better knit social innovation and entrepreneurship into civic engagement.
The conference is by invitation-only; for those unable to attend, TRUCEN offers a host of resources for faculty to explore and strengthen their contributions to engaged research through a robust online toolkit.
For more information, contact Stephanie Kurtzman.