Mid-year Reflections from Suzanne Morse Moomaw on Trust and Engagement

As our world spins around divisions driven by politics, religion, money, and priorities, our communities, and the organizations that support them, continue to have challenges that affect community members day-to-day. Added to the complexity that the increasing demands coupled with decreasing funding in some cases, is the issue of eroded trust in each other and traditional institutions including higher education. Ove the last few months two important reports on this very topic have been released: Report on the Yale Committee on Trust in Higher Education in April 2026 and the AAC&U’s The Trust Agenda released in June 2026. It was clear from the recommendation from both reports that Community Engagement Scholarship and Practice is a critical rebuilding the public’s trust in the role and impact of higher education. The Yale report calls for “Taking Responsibility for Stakeholders” and AAC&U names Community Engagement as a priority for change. These findings are not a surprise to anyone in ACES. Given the range of work among ACES members, engagement scholarship and practice is the gamechanger when it is shaped and executed by continuity, honesty, respect and reciprocity, listening and hearing, and perhaps the most critical of all, being invited in by the community. At our annual meeting in August, we will move beyond the words and learn from each other about what works, what must happen when the project, people, and communities face barriers, and how higher education can gain the public’s trust through authentic engagement. It is likely the only pathway that will have generational impact.

June 30, 2026