Community engagement and our commitment to human flourishing

As ACU positions itself as a leading university in human flourishing, it is important to consider the value of community-engaged practices. The ACU and DePaul conference provides a perfect opportunity. Call for abstracts now extended until 4 May.

A message from Head of ACU Engagement, Dr Matthew Pink:

Positioning ACU as a leading university in human flourishing bodes well for community-engaged methods, pedagogies, and practices that by their nature keep the needs of the human person central. Community engagement has the capacity to augment human flourishing for our staff, students, and the communities we engage with. As a Carnegie classified institution, ACU makes a commitment to continually deepening our community-engaged practice and the institutional support structures within.

I am constantly inspired by examples of how ACU’s commitment to community engagement impacts human flourishing. This can be seen in the recent success of the Clemente pilot at Parklea prison in Sydney’s west. Working with the community at Parklea prison has seen men’s hope for the future and perspectives transformed through the power of liberal arts education. Similarly, a place-based commitment to partnering with the people of the Darebin LGA has seen community life enriched through social inclusion cafes, culturally informed cooking and connection activities, a read-to-learn program, and a community garden project. These activities are co-created, co-owned and have been mutually beneficial for ACU students and staff who have engaged. Of course, these are only two examples of many at ACU.

Several thousand ACU students each year work with community as an official part of their degree and survey responses regularly display the value of these experiences to students’ development as whole, civic-minded human beings. This includes developing the ‘soft’ (yet often hard) skills that enrich their professional practice.

Our staff continue to grow personally and professionally through their community-engaged activities. Through improvements to the Academic Promotions Criteria, I was thrilled to see academics committed to community engagement promoted in the recent round. Congratulations to Professor Sharon Croxford, Associate Professors Ros Harrington, Walayat Hussain, and Paul Taylor, and Drs Kerrie Basclain and Mary Tomsic for being committed to community engagement and achieving promotion. I am also grateful to the Deputy Provost Professor Chris Lonsdale, Amanda Clark, and the Academic Promotions Criteria working group for supporting greater inclusion and recognition of community-engaged activity and achievements.

The ACU and DePaul Conference on Community Engagement and Service-learning

Call for abstracts extended until 4 May. More information can be found here.

In support of the development of ACU’s community engagement I am excited that our 4th biennial conference on community engagement and service-learning will this year be held at our North Sydney Campus on 1 – 2 July. The theme of ‘Preparing Educated Citizens during Uncertain Times’ is both poignant and fitting given our Vision 2033 focus on ‘providing a learning environment that emphasises the growth of the whole person’ and fostering a sense of global responsibility. Our students are indeed change makers of the present and future, and the community-engaged learning experience makes a tangible contribution to their development.

Since 2018, our partnership with DePaul has been important in advancing our institutional approach to community engagement. This has enhanced ACU’s community-engagement embedded in teaching, research, and community-engaged programs that serve our communities through connection and collaboration. A strong contingent of DePaul academics and professional staff will be travelling to North Sydney, and we encourage ACU staff to engage over the two days. Registration is free for ACU staff, and more information can be found here.