Community-University Engagement in an Electronically-Defined Era
Universities can enhance the return on the public investment that they represent by collaborating with their natural allies in addressing pressing social issues. That work can be further enhanced by harnessing appropriate digital technologies. In this chapter, the authors profile a current example of a community-led, multi-layered partnership that was formed to strengthen the infrastructure of the charitable sector in Canada. In particular, the chapter demonstrates that the “habit of partnerships” combined with the “habit of technology” is a potent strategy for addressing community needs. The authors argue that no single partnership or technology will transform the academic enterprise, but rather that the widespread adoption of technologies among universities’ allies, competitors, students, and faculty that characterizes the electronically-defined era will compel universities to adopt both the habit of partnerships and the habit of technology. That, in turn, will transform the way universities do their business and those with whom they do it.