Defining Their Spaces and Places: A Qualitative Exploration of the Communities of Higher Education Organizations

• In Event: Redefining Relationships and Spaces in Higher Education Through Qualitative and Duoethnographic Explorations

Abstract

Higher education organizations (HEOs) are not islands. They are situated in physical places and networks of relationships. However, our knowledge of these places and networks is limited. Community engagement research has provided insight into the types of engagement HEOs can have with their communities However, limited attention has been paid to the ways in which these institutions define, discuss, and situate themselves within their communities. This inhibits understanding of the ways, reasons and barriers of HEO engagement. To address this, we use a qualitative document analysis of HEOs in two metro-areas to evaluate differences in how HEOs define and discuss their communities and places. Results show patterned differences in how HEOs define and discuss their communities across institutions and “places.”

Authors

• Sondra Nicole Barringer, Southern Methodist University

• B. Kathleen Gallagher, Texas Tech University

• Alicia C. Schortgen, Southern Methodist University

• Emily V. Rasch, Southern Methodist University