The concept of community engagement is (re)emerging as a policy priority in higher education and is closely linked with key areas of EU initiatives such as European Universities Initiative, Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) alliance and the transformation agenda for higher education. It also connects with broader policy developments related but not limited to social inclusion, active citizenship and environmental sustainability.

This webinar is based on NESET analytical report “Community engagement in higher education: trends, practices and policies”, available here: https://bit.ly/NESET-CE​. The report argues that universities play a crucial role in responding to societal needs, and can further enhance their societal impact at local, national and international levels through community engagement. In this webinar we present the main findings of this report and discuss the importance as well as broader issues related to community engagement in higher education.

Webinar panelists:

Thomas Farnell, Higher Education Policy Expert, Institute for the Development of Education, Croatia;

Ellen Hazelkorn, BH Associates, and Professor Emerita, Technological University Dublin, Ireland;

Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, Rector, University of Rijeka, Croatia;

Marieke Hopman, Assistant Professor for International and European Law at Maastricht University and Project Leader of the Maastricht Platform for Community-Engaged Research (MPCER), The Netherlands.

Moderator: Sumathi Subramaniam, Policy Officer, Unit for Policy on Higher Education, European Commission, Belgium.

Learn more about NESET: https://www.nesetweb.eu