Gustafson and Adams present on mutual civic engagement

A cross-campus collaboration focused on reciprocity and mutuality led Kristin Gustafson, IAS faculty, and Kara Adams, director of community engagement, to present their research at the Engagement Scholarship Consortium International Conference in October. The conference, held in Denver, focused on advancing community engagement in higher education.

Gustafson and Adams presented “Mutual civic engagement: Reciprocity for journalism students and community practitioners.” They describe a partnership practice—through a case study with Introduction to Journalism students and community journalism practitioners—that measures reciprocity by outcomes rather than equal time investments. Their scholarship addresses efficiency problems that students and community practitioners may experience in partnerships and identifies transformative outcomes for both parties despite an imbalance in time commitment.