Universities and Their Communities—Engagement and Service as Primary Mission

The community engagement and partnership of universities, sometimes termed alternatively their “third mission” (besides the first two missions, teaching and research), is not an entirely new theme, yet it has come again to the fore and renewed attention of policymakers, university leaders, and international organizations1 (OECD 1983; OECD 1999; OECD 2001; Inman and Schuetze 2010).2 There are a number of questions that need clarification: What is meant by “third mission” activities or “community service”? What type of activities are included? Who are the communities? How does community engagement fit into the academic tradition of universities, their value and merit systems, and the way universities are organized and operate? What are the incentives and what are the barriers against greater engagement for and partnership with communities? How is community engagement supported? How can it be assessed in a meaningful way?