Report: Promoting Civic Engagement at the University of California: Recommendations from the Strategy Group on Civic and Academic Engagement

The University of California is the nation’s largest and most prestigious public research institution. As such, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to assume a leadership role in an emerging national movement within higher education, translating our identity as a land grant institution into 21st century terms. On June 10, 2005, over 70 faculty, students, and administrators, representing all 10 University of California campuses as well as the Office of the President, met to discuss this timely and significant topic. This meeting provided an opportunity to examine current civic engagement activities and strategies to deepen and broaden efforts in this area as well as to explore the leadership role our system might provide. The consensus of the group was that the UC is poised to assume a leadership role in a national movement that seeks to better integrate knowledge production through engaged scholarship with clear and critical public purposes.