This paper examines community engagement practices in higher education across the United Kingdom and the United States, analyzing their historical development, policy frameworks, and theoretical underpinnings. Through archival research and policy analysis, we investigate how community engagement transforms university-community relations and provides alternatives to dominant neoliberal educational models. While US community engagement emerged from 19th-century land-grant universities emphasizing practical knowledge and public service, UK engagement developed through post-WWII policies like the Robbins Report, which expanded educational access but introduced market-driven approaches. Despite these distinct histories, both systems view engagement as crucial for reflecting on and reimagining university-community relationships.

We argue that current neoliberal models, with their focus on metrics and marketization, create problematic hierarchies between academic institutions and communities. In response, we propose a community-engaged university model promoting collective care, reciprocity, and sustained partnerships over short-term initiatives. Drawing on Bourdieu's (1986) social capital theory, we explore how community engagement can address systemic inequities in higher education hierarchical structures and foster inclusive, sustainable, and more socially just knowledge exchange.

Our research reveals that effective community engagement requires emotional, social, and political investment beyond traditional metrics. This approach reframes education as a collective endeavor rather than a commodity, offering a transformative framework that resists neoliberal paradigms. Our findings contribute to ongoing discussions about creating more equitable, sustainable, and reflective practices in higher education systems through meaningful university-community partnerships.

Authors:
Zachery Spire, Oregon State University, United States
Emily Bastable, University of Sussex, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Zachery Spire, Public Engagement Research Specialist.
General interests include: social determinants of post-compulsory education access and participation. Previous research includes study of: student engagement, staff engagement, public engagement, community engagement, university-city hubs, student residences, and ethnographic studies. My current project focuses on study of community and public engagement for Oregon State University and the State of Oregon.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vczachs/

Emily Bastable is a PhD Student from the University of Southampton and uses participatory action research methods to understand how Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise can be integrated into the taught curriculum.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-bastable-fhea-b78668238/

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