Shifting the Culture of Higher Education: A Case Study in Advancing Community-Engaged Scholarship With a Multifaceted Approach

Public trust in higher education and science has declined over the past decade. Community-Engaged Scholarship (CES) can help rebuild this trust by fostering reciprocal partnerships that advance both knowledge and society. However, structural and cultural barriers hinder adoption of CES, particularly at Research-1 (R1) institutions, due to the misalignment between institutional values and traditional tenure and promotion criteria. This paper presents a case study from the University at Albany, SUNY that details a multifaceted approach to institutionalizing CES. Initiatives built upon each other, beginning with a strategic commitment to public engagement. To support this commitment, University at Albany created a resource allocation program and an award to recognize excellent examples of CES. A key initiative was the appointment of a Provost Fellow for Publicly Engaged Research and Teaching, who conducted a comprehensive review of the literature and institutional CES practices, led the application for Carnegie Classification, and developed recommendations for ongoing institutional support for CES. These recommendations ultimately guided the creation of a Community-Engaged Scholar (CES) Toolkit. This Toolkit provides a definition of CES and scholarly impact that expands traditional frameworks to include community, policy, and societal outcomes. It provides guidance for faculty as well as tenure and promotion committees to document and evaluate CES and offers recommendations for preparing for promotion. This paper concludes with reflection on the role of institutional champions as cultural change agents in advancing CES.