ABSTRACT
We look at this Afterword, not so much as a closing to this special issue, but as an invitation to further explore the literature and emerging river of work of university-community partnerships and civic engagement in higher education. This volume has provided examples of partnerships being carried out in many disciplines, including the sometimes lost voice of social work. It has addressed a myriad of issues that excite and frustrate both academic and community partners. It has provided examples of individual faculty, of teams joined together in common pursuits of research and policy change, and of the work of consultants. The many authors who have contributed to this publication have shared their own sense of the opportunities and challenges for enhancing teaching and research as their programs, schools, and institutions entered community service arenas. They have also added to the ongoing dialogue on civic engagement in higher education, as well as to the growing literature in this field. There are many rivers of thought that branch through this field, and we hope this collection of articles invites our readers to explore some of them.
