By Ard Jongsma. Community work by university staff and students is often seen as an add-on to academic core business. But can it actually be more than that? Can it help to attract students from underrepresented groups? Can it bridge the gap between higher education and communities that have traditionally been excluded from it? And can it even benefit the core curriculum?
Those questions were key parts of the debate as the Talloires Network of 332 engaged universities in 72 countries convened its 2014 conference in Cape Town this month. Their answers seem to vary in different parts of the world. Read more...