Publication Focuses on Community Engagement Research
The University of Alabama is home to a new research journal providing a mechanism for higher education professionals to disseminate scholarly works from all academic disciplines with the goal of integrating teaching, research and community engagement. Universities long ago stepped out of their ivory towers and became engaged members of their respective communities. Now, they have a peer-reviewed research journal highlighting studies of such efforts. The Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, a project of the Council of the Center for Community-Based Partnerships, premiered in October at the National Outreach Scholarship conference in Pennsylvania. “Community engagement has increasingly become a focus for higher education institutions throughout the U.S. and internationally over the past several years,” says Dr. Cassandra “Cassie” Simon, the journal’s editor. “Many universities, like The University of Alabama, have developed outreach programs and integrated community engagement into teaching and scholarship. As a result, there also has been considerable growth in the scholarship of engagement,” says Simon, associate professor of social work at UA.
The Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, or JCES, like other highly regarded journals, is a peer-reviewed journal that engages in a blind review process using rigorous evaluation criteria. It will, however, be different in its subject matter, its approach to research, and the involvement of students and community partners. “Rather than focusing on the more traditional forms of scholarly works based on traditional research designs, JCES will also represent scholarly works that use a wide range and variety of different approaches to community engagement research and scholarship,” says Simon. “It will address critical problems identified through community-based participatory research, a rapidly developing approach to cutting-edge scholarship in which students and community partners play important roles,” she adds. In addition to giving community engagement research a place to be published, Simon wants JCES to help facilitate a conversation on how scholarship is defined in higher educating. “Believing that this is a transformative time in academia, I want JCES to be at the forefront of strengthening the relationships between communities and institutions of higher learning. “In five years, I hope that JCES is shaping this paradigmatic shift that is taking place in higher education and shaping it well. There is room in every discipline for community engagement scholarship involving student learning.” Some in the academic community have speculated about whether or not JCES could be “equal” to other academic journals. Simon answers them definitively. “We’re not striving to be equal; we’re striving to be the very best, recognizing that narrow definitions of rigor no longer suffice. Ultimately, universities serve society – society dictates change – and JCES will be leading the way.”
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