“Close partnerships with the surrounding community help demonstrate that higher education is about important values such as informed citizenship and a sense of responsibility. The newer forms of public scholarship and community-based learning help produce civic-minded graduates who are as well prepared to take up the complex problems of our society as they are to succeed in their careers.” (The Kellog, 1999, pg.13)
This is well defined in our University’s Vision and evidenced by the enormous projects undertaken by staff and students with the aim of positively impacting our communities.

In summary, Community Outreach’s impact to the staff, students and community is as follows:
1.    Student benefits of Community Outreach
a)    Learning Outcomes
•    Positive impact on students’ academic learning
•    Improves students’ ability to apply what they have learned in “the real world”
•    Positive impact on academic outcomes such as demonstrated complexity of understanding, problem analysis, problem-solving, critical thinking, and cognitive development
•    Improved ability to understand complexity and ambiguity
b)    Personal Outcome
•    Greater sense of personal efficacy, personal identity, spiritual growth, and moral development
•    Greater interpersonal development, particularly the ability to work well with others, and build leadership and communication skills
c)    Social Outcomes
•    Reduced stereotypes and greater inter-cultural understanding
•    Improved social responsibility and citizenship skills
•    Greater involvement in community service after graduation
d)    Career Development
•    Connections with professionals and community members for learning and career opportunities
•    Greater academic learning, leadership skills, and personal efficacy can lead to greater opportunity
e)    Relationship with the Institution
•    Stronger relationships with faculty
•    Greater satisfaction with college
•    Improved graduation rates

2.    Staff benefits of Community Outreach
•    Satisfaction with the quality of student learning
•    New avenues for research and publication via new relationships between faculty and community
•    Providing networking opportunities with engaged faculty in other disciplines or institutions
•    A stronger commitment to one’s research

3.    University Benefits of Community Outreach
•    Improved institutional commitment to the curriculum
•    Improved student retention
•    Enhanced community relations
•    Establishment of lasting networks with other institutional/ organization with a similar vision of Service to humanity
•    Improved brand of the institution

4.    Community Benefits of Community Outreach
•    Satisfaction with student participation
•    Valuable human resources needed to achieve community goals
•    New energy, enthusiasm and perspectives applied to community work
•    Enhanced community-university relations
•    Improved quality of life

HOW to get engaged:
Staff or students can engage in community service through the following ways:
1.    Joining University wide clubs that partner with the Directorate of COEP to undertake various outreach initiatives.
2.    Through outreach initiatives that are identified and organized School wide or at the Departmental levels.
3.    At an individual level as a volunteer.
4.    Through conducting research as an individual or group, that has a community service element, such as sharing relevant research findings with the study population.