But what are we educating students about if not the social, economic, cultural, environmental and technological issues of the day? And what better way to do that than to engage them in creating real-world solutions alongside our community?

Weber State University places a high value on the reciprocal relationship between our campus and our community. Campus and community don’t operate in silos, especially for campuses like WSU and communities like Ogden, as well as our surrounding counties including Weber, Davis and Morgan. The vast majority of our students come from these counties and stay there after graduation.

Therefore, attempts to address issues of the day or solve real-world problems in our community naturally occur given our students bring their real-world experiences and challenges into our classrooms and onto our campuses. Good institutions of higher education meet students where they are. They figure out what students bring with them to college and tap their experiences, talents and existing knowledge to enrich the learning environment. In fact, we know that students who engage in real-world problem-solving have better success outcomes at the university, such as being more likely to continue to pursue their degree and graduate in a shorter amount of time.

One of the most powerful educational opportunities for our students is to work on a project with a community partner. We call this “community engaged learning,” and reciprocity is its fundamental principle. The students hone what they are learning at WSU in partnership with local organizations while enhancing the capacity of the community. It is a classic win-win relationship.

For example, WSU students research issues identified by local city councils and debate them in front of those councils to illuminate the pros and cons associated with each issue to support well-informed decision making. WSU students build and renovate homes to help address local needs for more affordable housing. They work with organizations to track and monitor local wildlife species and their habitats to help inform policies that promote conservation of healthy ecosystems that benefit us all. Students volunteer in programs that serve youth with disabilities to ensure access to recreational resources and other learning opportunities. WSU students share findings from research on local environments, like heat pockets in our cities or brine shrimp in the Great Salt Lake, to inform smart policies that will make our communities more climate-resilient. Other students promote civic engagement by working with local county election officials as poll workers and help get people out to vote. And others facilitate food drives and food recovery programs to address issues of food insecurity.

As you can see, community engagement is a critical part of our academic core at Weber State. It is one of the ways we fulfill our community anchor mission: to intentionally apply our intellectual assets, economic influence, and financial and human resources in partnership with regional communities to seek a sustainable economic, social, cultural and environmental system that ensures opportunity for all. I can’t imagine high-quality education without community engagement.

Our community is filled with proud, civically minded Weber State grads, and I’m grateful for it. They are thoughtful, ethical leaders in our local governments as both staff and elected officials, and in our nonprofit sectors. They ensure collaborative growth of knowledge and innovation in our community by serving as teachers, professors, coaches and mentors to our youth. They protect and promote our health and safety as police officers, public health professionals, counselors, social workers and medical professionals. They sustain the economic vitality of our community as business owners and entrepreneurs. And they protect our environment and quality of life as scientists and engineers.

Solving real-world problems in the community we live in is the best education. It prepares us to be actively engaged citizens who know the value and importance of stewardship in our communities. We are all better off if our future community contributors understand their civic responsibility to their broader communities and each other in their workplaces, neighborhoods and families.

WSU will indeed stick to what we know. Education is something we do with our community. Period.

Brenda Marsteller Kowalewski is a sociologist and vice provost for high-impact educational experiences, faculty excellence, international and graduate programs at Weber State University.