ABSTRACT
This chapter synthesizes the themes present across the narratives and identify the implications for the next generation of higher education institutions and for community-engaged scholars themselves. The authors frame these themes as the core challenges and tensions that next-generation engaged scholars face in navigating the institutional contexts of higher education while seeking to change these structures and systems so that they more fully align with the values and practices of engagement. The core tensions present across the narratives include the fracturing of identities and spanning of professional boundaries, securing and widening the legitimacy of expertise, and marginalization and validation. They also reveal diversity in the professional paths chosen by next-generation engaged scholars. The narratives of community-engaged scholars who are based outside of higher education call for a full recognition of the legitimacy of community-based expertise.
