Refocusing Universities on the Public Good: A Theory of Action

• In Event: University Leadership in Creating Equity-Oriented Communities of Expertise: Ethical, Epistemic, and Efficacy Issues

Abstract

This paper will explore how higher education institutions build the capacity to increase full participation IN higher education by underserved communities, in combination with increasing participation OF higher education institutions in tackling the pressing challenges facing communities--a dual agenda we refer to as "institutional citizenship." It will examine the frameworks, strategies and challenges facing efforts to build institutional citizenship into the core values and practices of research universities. The paper will offer a conceptual framework and an integrated theory of action, developed through a multi-method collaborative inquiry at Syracuse University and building on an examination of other institutions that have undertaken systems change to advance institutional citizenship.

Many higher education institutions have publicly embraced a commitment to educating diverse communities and cultivating leadership and knowledge that addresses pressing public concerns. Yet, many of the programs that emerge from these commitments have not been built into the core culture and hard wiring of the academic setting, and are marginalized in prevailing value systems and practices. There is a need for systematic analysis of efforts to make this work part of the valued repertoire.

We have identified Syracuse University as an instructive case study for examining whether and how public scholarship and diversity initiatives can be linked to each other and to the hard wiring of the institution. Drawing on a longitudinal study and collaborative inquiry, this paper provides a framework for locating institutional citizenship at the intersection of valued research, teaching, and community engagement. This study shares the frameworks and strategies that have enabled (in some cases) or prevented (in other cases) implementation of the broad vision; it also examines how initiatives link to each other and to spheres of influence so that they expand their scope and sustainability; and finally, it describes whether and how these initiatives link and collaborate with others inside and outside the institution to leverage their impact at a community, regional, national and global level.

Author

• Susan Sturm, Columbia Law School