Supporting Embedded Public Workers: Avoiding the Discrepancy between Public Representations and Educational Realities

Abstract

Over the course of the last few decades, there has been a powerful movement among colleges and universities that advocates for the commitment to positive civic engagement with local and global communities. From helping students comprehend how their majors can be used to improve society, to creating an educated and civic-minded electorate, the benefits of integrating public service into higher education are unquantifiable (Butin and Saud 2013, 89-90). Also, in ideal situations, local and global communities are receiving an immense amount of support from students. Thus, most institutions of higher education have been supportive of this movement, recognizing that their faculty and students can play a critical role in social change. For example, various service-learning curriculums have been developed and implemented by faculty members around the country, and they have now incorporated service work into a variety of disciplines. Some other initiatives include the development of university centers fully devoted to establishing partnerships between students and local community organizations (Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service 2015). Among other methods, this is one way universities have focused on encouraging students to perform volunteer work. However, while many universities have successfully inspired students to take on a civically engaged role in their communities, some universities have not been able to fully adapt to the movement of civic engagement. The reason for this short-coming is that despite their accomplishments in committing students to public service, some of these universities, as entire institutions, have failed to recognize, understand, and embrace core engagement principles.