Academia thrives through publicly engaged work, which is critical to faculty and student scholarship. Deborah A. Boehm, Ph.D., a former Mellon/ACLS Scholars and Society Fellow and Foundation Professor of Anthropology and Gender, Race and Identity (GRI) at the University of Nevada, Reno, dedicates a significant amount of time to collaborative, engaged research and working with students to help them similarly partner with community organizations. She aims to mentor her students by supporting opportunities for public engagement throughout their studies. By working closely with communities through research, teaching and service, the connection between campus and the local community grows, benefitting students, faculty and community partners alike.

A thriving community always starts with collaboration. As a contributor to the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)’s recent publication, “Preparing Publicly Engaged Scholars: A Guide to Innovation in Doctoral Education,” Boehm and a team of current and former University students wrote a chapter entitled “Build Bridges, Not Walls: Connecting Campus and Community.” Boehm co-authored the chapter with Esmeralda Salas, Alana Walls and Margarita Salas Crespo.

Boehm believes that the call to “build bridges, not walls” is an effective way for scholars at all stages to practice community engagement within their field of study, which in turn can lead to more rigorous research and the co-production of knowledge.

“Community organizations are key partners in higher education and central contributors to the missions of universities, especially at public universities such as the University of Nevada, Reno,” she states.

In addition to the guide, the co-authors created a series of events inspired by the guide, which started in December 2023. The first event took place at the Radical Cat Bookstore, co-founded and co-owned by University alum Melissa Hafey, who earned an M.A. in Anthropology and a graduate certificate in Gender, Race and Identity. The event was titled “Transformation.”

“It brought together several mutual aid organizations supporting the local Reno community: Laundry to the People, Reno Food Systems, River Justice and the Wild West Fund,” said Boehm.

Another event called “Liberation” was held at the same venue.

“Liberation was a panel featuring students completing an M.A. in Gender, Race and Identity who are collaborating with organizations as they carry out publicly engaged work,” Boehm said.

The organizations that the students are partnering with include the City of Reno’s Historic Preservation program, the Northern Nevada International Center, Return Strong! and TheatreWorks of Northern Nevada. “Celebration,” the third and final event—which is free and open to the public—will take place on April 26, 2024, from  6 to 8 p.m. in collaboration with the Holland Project’s Young Blood exhibition.

The guide and events focus on innovation and engagement by building bridges between campus and community and by encouraging collaboration around common work and shared commitments.

“Despite a tradition of community engagement in higher education, the image, and reality, of the ‘ivory tower’ persists,” Boehm said. “I hope this guide will be useful to the University administrators and faculty working with graduate students, as well as students and community partners.”

The publication and associated programming provide models for student and faculty engagement with community partners. These resources not only offer valuable insights for successfully completing graduate education but also showcase how scholars are connecting with their communities. Community engagement should be fruitful and generative for both researchers and community members and can drive the University to be a more impactful institution.

The guide is available to download on the ACLS’s Preparing Publicly Engaged Scholars webpage.