Bobbie Laur is ushering in a new era for Campus Compact, a national organization dedicated to advancing community engagement in higher education, and she sees the University of Delaware as a partner in the process. 

Campus Compact, which will celebrate 40 years in 2025, is evolving under Laur’s leadership. Laur aims to increase the organization’s portfolio of programs to serve and advocate for higher education’s community and civic engagement mission, while working directly with member institutions like UD. 

With greater capacity for community engagement, universities can build stronger bonds with the community, advance public scholarship and prepare students for lives as active citizens. At UD,  this work is spearheaded by the Community Engagement Initiative (CEI). 

“Getting to learn more about UD’s leadership and deep work across so many dimensions of community and civic engagement was inspiring,” said Laur, who visited the University’s Newark campus in July.

Campus Compact’s initiatives aim to define best practices for university-community partnerships and engaged scholarship, to provide leadership opportunities for students, and to align community engagement with social justice.

Another draw for Laur was UD’s R1 designation–that is, a “doctoral university - very high research activity”–by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. UD is one of just 146 universities in the U.S. with this designation.

The Research University Civic Engagement Network (TRUCEN) is Campus Compact’s network of R1 institutions, which Laur has identified as a focus area. TRUCEN is a forum for examining how leading research institutions can leverage their resources for social impact.

“It was a pleasure to meet with Ms. Laur during her visit to UD. Campus Compact can unify and amplify efforts from institutions like UD to meaningfully support our communities,” said Vice Provost for Equity Michael Vaughan, who oversees CEI. 

“Beyond being a convener for the many ways that academic institutions can serve the public good, Campus Compact provides a national stage for recognizing the great work happening at UD through fellowships and awards,” said CEI Associate Director Leann Moore.

“As the largest network of higher education institutions dedicated to the public mission, we are proud and thankful to have UD among our ranks,” said Laur.