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Engagement Academy

The UK Engagement Academy brings 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. Applications are now closed. 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.

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