New Book: Exploring Equitable Community–Campus Relationships

Posted by American Association of Colleges and Universities on February 24, 2026

Exploring Equitable Community–Campus Relationships is a timely guide for institutions committed to meaningful partnership. This volume offers practical strategies for centering equity in campus–community collaborations, sharing real-world insights on building and sustaining relationships rooted in shared purpose and mutual benefit.

Through interrogation of contemporary practice, chapter authors examine the many ways in which equity is deliberately centered in community relationships, practices, research, and pedagogies, thereby accounting for how equity is defined, perceived, and shaped across diverse cultures, perspectives, and institutions. With a focus on relationship-building as a pathway to meaningful community engagement, contributors reflect on successes, obstacles, and moments of vulnerability, describing how relationships were initiated and lessons learned to ensure equitable values were centered and upheld. The text concludes with a meaningful discussion on the implications of these practices and the future of this work: equity continues to be a foundational element of any community–campus partnership.

This book is co-published by the American Association of Colleges and Unversities (AAC&U) and Routledge