Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship (ACES)

Reports

As part of its mission to inform research, practice, and policy, the Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship publishes series of reports and papers on topics relevant to community engagement. These publications are listed below.
 

Research and Practice Series

Future Directions for Global Higher Education: Transdisciplinarity and Public Engagement

Authors: Louis E. Swanson, Colorado State University, A. Scott Reed, Oregon State University, Hannah B. Love, Divergent Science LLC, and William F. Shuster, Colorado State University

Image of ACES research and practice series report 1 entitled "Future Directions for Global Higher Education: Transdisciplinarity and Public Engagement," authored by members Louis E. Swanson and A. Scott Reed, with Hannah B. Love and William F. ShusterThis report examines how higher education can better address complex global challenges by integrating transdisciplinary education, research, and community engagement. The authors argue that universities must move beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries and strengthen partnerships with communities, governments, nonprofits, and industry to address issues such as climate change, poverty, health disparities, and social justice. The report identifies organizational and cultural barriers within higher education while outlining practical pathways for institutional transformation. Ultimately, Swanson, Reed, Love, and Shuster call for a more collaborative, socially responsive model of higher education that enhances public trust, strengthens societal impact, and prepares students to solve real-world problems.

Download the report at: https://doi.org/10.67643/107714nyvopi

Publication date: August 2026

 

White Paper Series

Faculty Engaged Scholarship: Setting Standards and Building Conceptual Clarity

Authors: Lynn Blanchard, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Andrew Furco, University of Minnesota

Image of ACES white paper entitled "Faculty Engaged Scholarship: Setting Standards and Building Conceptual Clarity," authored by members Lynn Blanchard, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Andrew Furco, University of MinnesotaThe authors provide an examination of how engaged scholarship is presented in promotion and tenure guidelines using case studies from two public research universities in the United States. From the findings of these case studies, they identify several ways in which academic disciplines frame engaged scholarship. Blanchard and Furco then apply these disciplinary frames to establish a broader framework designed to build greater conceptual clarity regarding the different approaches and pathways that disciplines take to engaged scholarship. They conclude the report with a look to the future in our efforts to set standards and build greater conceptual clarity of engaged scholarship.

Download the report at: http://doi.org/10.17615/0xj1-c495

Publication date: January 2021