Public Engagement and Organizational. Identity in U.S. Higher Education

Abstract

The identities of U.S. colleges and universities are changing in response to the growing national movement promoting public engagement in higher education. Public engagement emphasizes a shift away from an expert model of delivering university knowledge to the public, toward a more collaborative model where stakeholders play a significant role in creating and sharing knowledge for the mutual benefit of institutions and society. This conceptual paper explores how U.S. colleges and universities are evolving in this emerging context. The paper begins with a brief history of U.S. higher education and the ways U.S. institutions traditionally have viewed their societal roles. Then, we discuss the emerging strategy of “public engagement” and how colleges and universities are institutionalizing engagement to reflect their unique missions, histories, and geographic settings. The section that follows conceptualizes ways in which institutions project their engagement identity to external stakeholders. We conclude by offering new directions for research to explore intersections of engagement and organizational identity in the U.S. context and around the world.