At The University of Alabama, we define the scholarship of engagement as a partnership that joins together the specialized knowledge of the campus with the practical knowledge of the public to solve critical problems of interest to both. The concept of community university engaged scholarship has emerged over the past two decades as part of the continuing dialogue on the nature of knowledge and the role of academic institutions in society. The goals of community-engaged scholarship are the generation, exchange and application of mutually beneficial and socially useful knowledge and practices developed through active partnerships between the academy and the community.

The Center for Community-Based Partnerships is one of the campus’ main engines in the support of the University’s efforts to be an engaged institution as defined by the Kellogg Commission: “An engaged institution is responsive to the needs of today’s students and tomorrow’s. It enriches the student experience by bringing research into the curriculum and offering practical experience in the world they will enter. It forms partnerships of faculty, students and communities to put knowledge and skills to work on today’s most critical problems.” — From Returning to Our Roots: The Engaged Institution, Kellogg Commission Report, 1999).