UBC has the opportunity to bring institution-wide recognition of and support for community engagement to a top tier research institution.
Together with community-engaged staff, scholars and partners, and university leaders from Vancouver and Okanagan sites, the Community Engagement team are exploring the creation of a framework to guide the way UBC engages.
Humbly, we look back on the phenomenal efforts already put into building a foundation for reciprocal engagement at UBC to advance equity and justice. Here’s what has been done to date:
Community Based Research – 2014-15
Led by community engaged scholars and sponsored by VP Research and Innovation, Community Engagement supported the efforts of the Community Based Research Steering Committee and Working Groups to develop guidelines in three areas: principles and ethics, faculty rewards and review, and communications. These efforts contributed to the formation of the Indigenous Research Support Initiative, in VPRI.
Community Engagement Concept Paper – 2016
Early concepts related to developing a community engagement strategy were shared with and supported by UBC Executive in 2016. Subsequent conversations and learning continue to shape these concepts. This foundational document set the context for how UBC Community Engagement then developed its programming and focus. Read the UBC Community Engagement Concept Paper.
Engagement Dialogues – 2017
In a series of dialogues coordinated by UBC Community Engagement in spring 2017, more than 100 community members, faculty, students, staff and alumni shared their visions for community-university engagement. There was a perception that UBC trails behind other universities in this area, that it is urgent that UBC undergo a fundamental change in its culture to value engagement, that engagement should be embedded in core curriculum, and that UBC needs a stronger presence downtown.
Community Engagement Table – 2019-present
After the introduction of Shaping UBC’s Next Century, a table of engagement leads from across both UBC Okanagan and Vancouver campuses formed to discuss and coordinate engagement efforts, identify critical gaps and opportunities that require a collective effort, provide an important interface between Deans and Executive, and advise on the co-creation of principles and framework for engagement.
Carnegie Pilot Project – 2019-present
Together with a cohort of 15 other Canadian post-secondary institutions, we have embarked on a Canada-wide initiative to pilot the US based Carnegie Classification system for Community Engagement. Participating in the pilot allows us to be at the forefront of shaping a future Canadian framework for community engagement that will clearly define engagement and support universities and communities across the country in their partnership initiatives. Learn about the Carnegie Pilot.