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When possible, OCEL leverages funds to provide faculty and staff with professional development opportunities related to engagement. These are chances for faculty and staff to present their own scholarship, network in the engagement space, and learn best practices to bring back to their own departments and units!

The Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (C51ÊÓƵU) Conference is an amazing opportunity for OCEL staff, faculty, and campus leadership to learn about what other higher education institutions are doing to engage their community. 51ÊÓƵ-Dearborn has been a proud C51ÊÓƵU member for 24 years and have presented at several past conferences, including "" (2023).

The Outreach and Engagement Practitioners Network (OEPN) is a community of practice for university staff, non-tenure-track faculty, and community partners. These outreach and engagement professionals, or "boundary spanners", develop and sustain relationships between higher education institutions and community partner organizations by facilitating, managing, directing, and administering ongoing projects, programs, services, and research. Each year, OEPN hosts a professional development workshop, offering practitioners the chance to develop skills and identify ways to advocate strategically for and lead outreach and engagement work. Molly Manley serves on the OEPN Planning and Communications Committees.

Annually, the and the Emerging Engagement Scholars Workshop takes place, offering faculty professional development related to publishing engaged scholarship. Participants can hear from editors in their field, learn about emerging engaged research, and discuss the future of engagement in higher education institutions.

ESC and EESW were affirming experiences for past participant Professor Elmeligi. He reflected, The consortium made pathways to engaged scholarship easier to understand. It feels like this group is actually reshaping how we approach and view engaged scholarship!

Here are some fantastic resources from past events:

•  (Welch and Plaxton-Moore)
•  (Doberneck)

Each year, Michigan State University hosts a 5-day . This event equips participants with tools to build meaningful partnerships, evaluate their engaged work, and promote engagement in their own institutions.

View similar virtual and in-person from MSU's Office of University Outreach and Engagement.