Outside the Margins: Promotion and Tenure with a Public Scholarship Platform

Engagement and outreach scholarship has been encouraged among faculty to address the challenge of bringing university resources to meet the needs of society. However, a divide persists, especially apparent at research-focused universities, between the encouraging rhetoric about engagement and the actual reward structure through the promotion and tenure process. This article culls the literature on engaged scholarship to explore this divide, tracing the origins, evolution, and principles for success involved in linking scholarship to community needs in the context of a research-focused institution. The article advocates a two-pronged approach to garner support and respect for this research platform.