University-Community Engagement: How Digital Scholarship Can (and Should) Move From the Classroom to the Community

Students at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs have worked to promote the use of digital governance for Pennsylvania’s local communities through Capstone seminars. Building on knowledge from previous years, the Spring 2017 Capstone Seminar on Digital Governance made recommendations to Pennsylvania\u27s State Planning Board, with concrete proposals for state leadership to help local governments, especially smaller communities, incorporate digital applications. The premise of this work is that digital technologies present opportunities for local governments to improve service delivery, and our graduate students in public administration have digital expertise to lend to these communities. Digital scholarship here represents a university-community partnership, as students work with communities to understand how digital tools can help municipalities operate more efficiently, effectively, and equitably