Engagement Academy
Engagement Academy Applications Now Open
Applications are now open for the second annual Engagement Academy.
The UK Engagement Academy will bring together UK Extension professionals, colleges, departments and/or units to build partnerships that thrive through Extension-sponsored and other engagement efforts. The goals include:
- Hosting a 2-day symposium for county agents and campus-based faculty/staff/administrators to learn more about the significance of engaged scholarship through the lens of the land-grant mission
- Emphasizing the role of the Cooperative Extension Service and its success as the outreach arm of the University of Kentucky
- Educating new and current UK administrators on the position engagement plays to harness community change in the city of Lexington, the region and state
- Highlighting and celebrating the impact local Extension programs have on local communities
- Providing support to those UK scholars who focus on engagement by assuring that their work is valued equitably and seen as a relevant contribution
The Engagement Academy will be held on September 11-12, 2024. The first day will consist of seminars, opportunities to engage in discussions with colleagues and to learn about projects that could potentially lead to campus-wide collaborations. The second day will include a tour of several models of campus-community engagement efforts within the state of Kentucky.
Any questions should be directed to Dr. Kenneth Jones.
Engagement Academy Application
The engagement academy opened my eyes to the incredible possibilities for transdisciplinary collaboration across our campus. During lunch the first day of the academy program, I happened to sit next to someone at UK HealthCare, and as we chatted, we quickly realized there was a strong intersection in our work. We are now collaborating on a community-based project, in partnership with UK Extension, to roll out and promote online suicide prevention (QPR) training across the state. This work will hopefully make a meaningful difference to communities across Kentucky. -- Sarah Geegan, Assistant Professor
Participating in the Engagement Academy reinforced for me the many ways that UK is truly responding to the privilege that accompanies the title, University FOR Kentucky. I especially appreciate information I learned about extension—I have seen extension offices within and beyond Kentucky... but I really had no idea what their purposes are or how exactly they are connected to the larger university. -- Maria Cahill, Professor