Engaging for the love of place? The role of place attachment in academics’ regional engagement efforts

Abstract

The third mission of universities is often conceived as a regional one, encompassing contributions to regional development and engagement with regional actors. Yet, universities are increasingly global institutions with internationally mobile faculty. This raises the question of how the embeddedness of academics in their regions shapes engagement at the regional scale. Using survey data of 625 faculty members at seven universities, we investigate the role of place attachment and informal social networks in shaping academics’ regional engagement efforts. The findings indicate that academics with a strong sense of local attachment and extensive social networks engage more with local partners.