Lead the way

  1. Faculty and Staff
  2. Strengthening relationships

Strengthening relationships

Ready to connect?

Ready to build relationships with community and industry partners? Here are ways you can get involved with community engagement as a faculty member at ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´. 

Importance of faculty involvement  

Faculty involvement is an integral step in strengthening ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´ relationships with our local, regional, national, and international communities. Providing students with an opportunity to participate in community-engaged learning is a unique avenue for enriched learning in an environment that builds students’ workplace networks, improves their professional skills, adds an application component to their instruction, and provides the possibility for long-lasting and meaningful change for partners. Through course instruction, research, and even co-curricular opportunities, faculty have a wide variety of ways to get involved.  

Value of community engagement

  • Integrate hands-on learning in your courses 
  • Connect and network with professionals in your industry 
  • Provide students with applied experience of their skills in your courses  
  • Connect with community through your research 
  • Leverage new technologies and resources 
  • Align pedagogy to SDGs 

 

Are you ready for community engagement?

What level of engagement am I seeking from my partner?
It is important to define early on in a project the roles and expectations that you are looking for in your partnership. For example, are you looking to provide a partner with a solution to their presented challenge independently? Or might this solution require their initiative in collaborating more directly with you throughout the partnership?





What resources do I need to facilitate this partnership?
Not having the proper resources in place can present a major challenge to community engaged projects. It is important to discuss with your partner logistical considerations such as cost, pre-existing resources that can be adapted/ inform new ones, as well as the time a project may take to complete.






Does this project respond to my partner's needs?
A project should clearly and precisely map onto the challenge that a partner has presented in whole. If not, it may be worth a discussion with your partner to see if it may be more suitable for you to focus on a certain component of a partner’s challenge in your collaboration with them.






What are my motivations to get involved in community engagement?
There may be many distinct reasons that an individual may want to get more involved in community engagement. In deciding on a partnership and subsequent project, having an understanding of your own goals, values, and motivations regarding a partnership can be an informative tool in guiding your collaborations.






Levels of Engagement  

Engagement is understood to be enacted on spectrum and may include:  

  • Inform: provide balanced and objective information to help community members understand the problems, alternatives, and/or solutions.
  • Consult: obtain feedback on analyses, alternatives, and/or decisions.
  • Involve: work directly with community partners throughout the initiative to ensure that concerns and aspirations are considered. 
  • Collaborate and co-create: partner with communities in each aspect of the initiative and choose preferred solution from community perspective  
  • Empower: place final decision with community partners 

In the media

Quilt with pride flag painted on it.

Jun 03, 2026

Intertwining joy and resilience

ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´ Yellow House and other campus units are leading events and initiatives to support community connection during local Pride celebrations.

Older man in black suit standing with three young people (one woman and two men) who are holding awards and bouquets.

May 27, 2026

Inspiring a new generation of pianists

 Canada’s top talent celebrated at the Bader & Overton Canadian Piano Competition.

United Way Ironstone Achievement Award

May 06, 2026

ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´ wins first ever Ironstone Achievement Award from United Way KFL&A

The university’s 2025 workplace fundraising campaign topped $524,000.

See Gazette Articles