- This report defines a new concept in civic engagement on college campuses called Engaged Learning Economies. Initiatives at US colleges and universities, which utilize common strategies to merge civic engagement with economic development through strategic partnerships, create Engaged Learning Economies. By strategically aligning these civic engagement and economic development, campuses are having a positive impact on both student learning at these institutions and economic development in local communities where these partnerships take place. Partnerships between institutions and communities which consciously commit to several guiding principles create the cornerstone of these Engaged Learning Economies. The three common principles identified are:
- establishing democratic partnerships,
- aligning campus goals, policies, and practices, and
- building community capacity.