What is community engagement?

A mission of engaged service and outreach

Community partnership and engaged service are core elements of the University of Louisville's mission. Whether it is working with students in local public schools, helping to provide services in underserved neighborhoods, or building stronger communities internationally, UofL is committed to collaborating with partners to improve quality of life in places both near and far. UofL Community Engagement activities break down into the following categories:

Partnership

Ongoing collaboration with community partners for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. Click here for a list of recent major partnerships.

Outreach

Providing direct services, time, or resources to benefit a community or its institutions. This includes instances of public intellectualism such as talks, lectures, presentations, performances, etc. Learn more about the Office of Community Engagement’s annual outreach event Cards Come Together.

Curricular Engagement

Student involvement with external partners via coursework (community-based learning courses). Click here to see a list of community-based learning courses.

Engaged Scholarship

Faculty scholarly work done in full partnership with the community. It consists of research, teaching, and the application of scholarship for the mutual benefit of the institution and community partner. Click here for UofL’s Faculty Handbook on Community-Engaged Scholarship.