Project Background

This project builds on the accomplishments of two Learn & Serve America grants that were managed by the Bonner Foundation and that supported the establishment and growth of Princeton University’s Community-Based Learning Initiative.

The initial L&S grant (1997-2000) supported a diverse collection of 15 campuses that engaged 70 faculty and 700 students in creating more than 140 community-based research (CBR) courses and projects. The second L&S grant (2000-03) supported the development of seven local/regional CBR networks involving 55 campuses in Trenton, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Denver, East St. Louis/St, Louis, and the Appalachian Region, which altogether engaged 170 faculty and 1700 students in 250+ CBR projects.

Lessons learned from these efforts have been shared by participating faculty, students, administrators, and community partners through more than 50 local workshop and national conference presentations, including the National Conference on Service-Learning Research, AAHE, the American Sociological Association, the National Urban Studies Conference, and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.

In addition, the participants in these grants have generated an impressive body of print, web, and peer consulting resources. The project website includes extensive databases of CBR course and project profiles, a FAQ on CBR, and links to other resources and participating campuses. Major publications from this project include the books “CBR and Higher Education: Principles and Practices” (Jossey-Bass) and “Research Methods for Community Change: A Project-Based Approach” (Sage Publications) as well as a special issue of the Michigan Journal for Community Service Learning devoted to community-based research.

While our previous work has helped embed CBR in the service-learning and civic education movements, this kind of community-engaged scholarship is still at the margins of the academy. We seek to move it to the center.