Community Engaged Scholarship at UTEP

What is Community-Engaged Scholarship?

Community-engaged scholarship (CES) integrates the development, exchange, and application of knowledge between the university and the community to address real-world challenges. It involves collaboration, shared authority, and mutual benefit.

Key Features of CES

• Integrates research, teaching, and service
• Addresses public and community issues
• Builds sustainable, equitable partnerships
• Engages community partners as co-creators of knowledge
• Shares peer-reviewed findings with public and academic audiences

A Simple Philosophy for CES

At its core, CES is about presence, attentiveness, and commitment. We encourage our faculty and partners to:

• Show up – Be present and available to your community collaborators.
• Pay attention – Listen actively and observe community priorities and needs.
• Do the work – Follow through on commitments and share results that matter.

Why This Matters

Community-engaged scholarship is key to UTEP’s identity as a public research university committed to regional impact. CES supports our 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Reclassification and demonstrates the power of partnership in addressing borderland and binational issues.

Featured Projects

Resisting Relapse: Positive Identity and Empowerment for Youth on the Frontera
Dr. Adriana Dominguez collaborated with youth and local nonprofits to develop a theatre-based project centering youth identity and trauma recovery. Participants co-created performances that fostered dialogue around resilience and substance use recovery.

The Future of Water in a Desert River Basin
Led by Dr. William Hargrove, this interdisciplinary research project engages stakeholders across the Rio Grande Basin to model and address climate change impacts on regional water systems. The project integrates community voices into policy and sustainability planning.

HIV Awareness and Stigma in Pharmacy Education
Dr. Christopher G. Medlin’s study assesses knowledge and stigma related to HIV among pharmacy students. Developed in partnership with local health clinics and advocacy groups, the project promotes culturally informed health education in Hispanic-majority communities.

El Paso Food Voices
Dr. Meredith E. Abarca’s oral history project highlights local culinary stories to preserve regional food culture. Community members served as co-creators of the archive, shaping narratives that were shared via public exhibits and digital collections.

Resources and Support

Recommended Journals for CES Publishing
Explore peer-reviewed journals dedicated to community-engaged scholarship:

• Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship – International, peer-reviewed; publishes CES work spanning teaching, research, and service
• Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement – Interdisciplinary outreach efforts; publishes research articles, reflective essays, and project reports
• Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning – Contemporary higher ed topics, including CES practice and reflections
• Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement – Case studies and analyses of engagement processes
• Collaborations: A Journal of Community-Based Research and Practice – Open-access; highlights university-community collaboration research
• Journal of Community Practice – Interdisciplinary, grounded in social welfare and community organizing
• Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement – Promotes practice theory for successful civic and educational partnerships
• Journal of Experiential Education – Focuses on experiential learning—particularly in service-learning and civic engagement

Disseminating & Publishing Community Engaged Scholarship

Community Engaged Scholarship Contacts

Community Engaged Scholarship Fellows work closely with the Office of the Provost to support faculty through workshops and talks related to community engaged scholarship competencies. They lead the Provost’s Council on Community Engagement.

Amy J. Bach, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Teacher Education

Sarah Upton, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Communication