Earlier this month, the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility collaborated with Saint Joseph’s University to host “Engaging Philadelphia through Scholarship and Teaching,” a convening at City Hall for faculty members and community partners from the Greater Philadelphia region. 

With the support of the Office of the Mayor of Philadelphia and Campus Compact’s New York and Pennsylvania chapters, the event provided the roughly 50 attendees with an opportunity to build professional knowledge, explore current community assets, and make plans for collaboration on co-creation of knowledge and mutually desired outcomes.

The event also highlighted successful models of campus-community collaboration. One such example was Serenity Soular, a campus-community partnership that emerged as a result of a collaboration between Professor of Environmental Studies Giovanna Di Chiro and a caregiver at Serenity House Community Center.

“Engaged scholarship events like this one uplift the good work that results from campus-community partnerships and collaboration with regional institutions like Saint Joseph’s University and organizations like Campus Compact,” says Jennifer Magee, senior associate director of the Lang Center. “It also offers all participants the chance to enhance our collective social capital and to identify opportunities to co-create knowledge.”

“These events highlight the knowledge and expertise in our local communities, and give fresh inspiration for new campus-community partnerships,” agrees Ben Berger, associate professor of political science and executive director of the Lang Center. “I left City Hall feeling energized and grateful to all who attended.”