Partnerships in Civic Engagement: Cultivating Transformational Campus-Community Relationships Built to Last

Abstract

A critical feature of contemporary models of civic engagement is a mutually-beneficial collaboration between campus and community partners, in which all members contribute knowledge, skills, and experience to co-create knowledge. To date, most research has focused on student outcomes, and we know much less about how to develop successful campus-community partnerships. This article reviews the challenges and opportunities in establishing and maintaining these partnerships to address issues in Trenton, NJ, USA. We first review best practices for developing partnerships between potential stakeholders on campus and in the community. We then describe the infrastructure at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) that supports the development of these partnerships and present 3 case studies that highlight how they were maintained to offer a range of civic engagement activities that benefit all stakeholders involved in the collaboration. Finally, we present recommendations for developing and maintaining partnerships at other institutions.