Building better communities: Shared leadership and authentic change

Since the mid-1990s higher education has been turning more resources toward social, ethical, and civic issues in the community making a gradual shift toward greater campus engagement within local communities. The specific aim for this chapter is to highlight previously identified characteristics of successful partnership development, tie these characteristics to a case study of a university-community partnership, and enhance the existing recommendations based on the experiences that emerged during partnership development. This case study represents the development of prior ties and a working relationship between a mid-west university and several county school districts. Establishing prior ties and trusted relationships can facilitate community-campus partnership development important in achieving successful community-based outcomes. Additionally, expecting community partners to identify programs and activities, focusing on the academic outcomes, allowing community partners to receive recognition for success from the community, and serving in a mentoring role rather than an expert role may allow universities to develop useful community-campus partnerships