Community Engagement : A Key Driver of 21st Century Innovation

At an urban institution like VCU, community engagement is a vital aspect of the university's responsibility as an anchor institution in the community. Community engagement is a critical factor in 21st-century innovation, given the inevitable need for a people-centered approach to technology and innovation, the need for diverse teams to drive innovation and address complex challenges, improved patient care, and the importance of lifelong learning and adaptation.

As exemplified by the Thriving Communities theme in Quest 2028, VCU recognizes that true community engagement is not a one-way street. Instead, it is a collaborative process where both the university and community partners co-create solutions to pressing societal issues. By prioritizing community engagement, VCU is setting itself apart as a leader in this field, as it integrates it into education, scholarship, research, and clinical practice. Through this commitment, VCU strives to create a legacy of excellence, impact, and economic prosperity, while also preparing future leaders who are equipped to engage in meaningful civic engagement and community partnerships.

“Community engagement is the collaboration between institutions of higher education, such as VCU, and their larger communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in the context of partnership and reciprocity. It can involve partnerships and coalitions that help mobilize resources, influence systems, and serve as catalysts for initiating and/or changing policies, programs, and practices to achieve equitable impact.

VCU Definition of Community Engagement

 

Community Engagement: At A Glance

Our Guiding Framework: Partnership, Alignment, Impact (PAI)

Vision

To integrate community engagement in all aspects of VCU's work, with the goal of addressing societal inequities, bridging the university-community divide, and demaning civic responsibility through transformative action.

Mission

To cultivate inclusive and equitable community engagement through sustainable partnerships that address social, economic, and health inequities. We priorities understanding the unique strengths and needs of the communities we serve and strive to promote research, student success, and transformative educational experiences through evidence-based practices that will result in significant community impact.

Values

The work of Community Engagement at VCU must be informed by core values that encapsulate our beliefs and attitudes associated with community engagement at VCU. We have identified 3 core values:

• Reciprocity

We believe in a two-way exchange between the university and the community, with engagement that is driven by mutual benefit and informed by local needs, priorities, and a shared agenda.

We strive to create partnerships that are characterized by openness, honesty, transparency, and collaboration.

We view community engagement as a collaborative process that builds mutual trust, understanding and respect, leading to the co-creation of solutions to complex community issues.

• Equity

We recognize the historical and contemporary contexts of power imbalances and social justice issues.

We are committed to using an equity framework to inform community-engaged policies, practices, partnerships, and services.

We believe in addressing systemic barriers to equal participation and outcomes for all community members, with a particular focus on historically marginalized communities.

• Asset-based approach

We prioritize an approach that builds upon and leverages both the existing community strengths, resources, and assets as well as the unique assets of VCU.

We believe in utilizing the collective wisdom of community members, stakeholder groups, and the expertise and resources of VCU to inform engagement efforts and drive sustainable, community-informed outcomes. This requires acknowledging and valuing all types of assets within a community, rather than solely focusing on perceived deficits.

We view community engagement as a collaborative process that seeks to empower communities and support local decision-making, while leveraging the assets of VCU and the community, with the aim of creating sustainable and equitable outcomes.

 

Partnership, Alignment, and Impact (PAI)

The framework of Partnership, Alignment, and Impact (PAI) is the cornerstone of community engagement at VCU. The PAI framework provides a structured approach to community engagement that emphasizes building partnerships and aligning university resources with community-identified needs. To promote effective community engagement, faculty, students, and the community are encouraged to incorporate the PAI framework into their activities. It can be used to guide the development of partnerships, ensure alignment of resources and goals, guide research activities, and measure impact. While flexibility is encouraged to allow for adaptations to specific contexts and situations, the PAI framework provides a strong foundation for transformative community engagement.

• Partnership: Building relationships with diverse stakeholders through collaboration and teamwork is essential to community engagement at VCU. Authentic, multi-sector partnerships informed by our core values are necessary to address complex, 21st-century problems and achieve equitable impact. Our focus on partnerships aims to narrow the divide between universities and communities and create shared agendas to address social and economic inequities.
• Alignment: The strategic alignment of university resources, processes, and scholarly pursuits with community-identified needs is crucial for creating relevance, delivering community benefit, and promoting social, economic, and environmental sustainability. An adaptive infrastructure that supports inclusion and accountability is key to aligning VCU's goals with city, state, and regional priorities.
• Impact: Community engagement at VCU must be driven by a purpose to create impact. This includes building sustainable relationships that lead to value-driven partnerships, opportunities for transformative research and education, excellent clinical care, and significant gains at the individual, family, and structural levels. Our efforts aim to prioritize processes and practices across the institution to promote significant outcomes aligned with VCU’s commitment to building healthy, prosperous, and equitable communities.