Scholarship: The Key to Creating Change through Outreach

Outreach can and should exemplify the characteristics typical of any scholarly work if it is to create change in our communities and universities. Glassick, Huber, and Maeroff's insight on the standards for scholarly work are reflected in the processes commonly used to implement outreach. Boyer challenges us to think of scholarship as a communal process. The uniqueness of outreach is that as an activity, it is a communal process. By rooting outreach in scholarship, its quality is enhanced and the work within the academy is enriched. The authors draw from the work of leading authors, their experiences in leading outreach initiatives, their role in planning the Outreach Scholarship 2002 conference, and the articles featured in this journal to share insights on outreach as scholarship.