Sustainable Solutions: University–Community Partnerships

Book excerpt: What is the role of the university? Current systems may stress research output, but Wortham-Galvin, Allen, and Sherman seek to re-establish the importance of teaching and service in the work of the 21st-century university. The Sustainable Solutions series shares Portland State University’s experience of community-engaged teaching and research. With a focus on sustainability, we see that such collaboration is vital to making Portland one of the world’s most sustainable cities.Volume 2, University–Community Partnerships, builds on the themes introduced in Volume 1, Let Knowledge Serve the City, to explore how these partnerships play out in practice. Covering 13 projects, which range from supporting local artisans and researching food access, to sharing Indigenous history and decolonizing perceptions of knowledge, readers receive pragmatic advice on working with community organizations. Authors also offer critical reflection on how theories of engagement have structured PSU’s work and how their findings impact our very understanding of partnership.This reader-friendly text provides an ideal introduction to anyone wishing to learn more about models of effective collaboration and how to put these into practice. Explained through the context of specific projects, the book offers both inspiration and practical guidance to anyone — in local government, academia, or the third sector — looking to set up productive community–university partnerships.