In the face of a popular perception that higher education provides public service that is "out of touch and out of date," University of California, Davis, Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef and 26 other current and former public and land-grant university presidents have laid out a forward-looking framework for change. Their dramatic open letter to the chief executives of the nation's state and land-grant colleges and universities, "Returning to Our Roots: The Engaged Institution," calls on public institutions to become "engaged institutions" by: • responding to the needs of today's students and tomorrow's, not yesterday's; • enriching students' experiences by bringing research and engagement into the curriculum and offering practical opportunities for students to prepare for the world they will enter; and • putting critical resources (knowledge and expertise) to work on the problems facing the communities they serve. "To be fully engaged is an essential element of a public university's mission, and UC Davis is working in many ways to live up to this concept," said Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef. "We are striving to create real partnerships with our communities, partnerships in which we define problems together, share goals and agendas, develop common definitions of success, and pool or leverage university, public and private funds." Vanderhoef serves on the 27-member Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities, which was created by a $1.2-million grant given by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. "The Engaged Institution" is the third of a series of Commission reports, in the form of letters to public university officials, that frame a vision for reforming public higher education and outline actions for change. Graham Spanier, president of The Pennsylvania State University, chairs the commission. John V. Byrne, former president of Oregon State University, is the executive director. "The Engaged Institution" report stresses that "engagement" goes well beyond conventional, one-way notions of public service. "The Commission," says the report, "envisions partnerships, two-way streets defined by mutual respect among the partners for what each brings to the table." The report concludes by recommending that: • our institutions transform their thinking about service so that engagement becomes a priority on every campus, a central part of institutional mission; • each institution develop an engagement plan measured against the seven-part template incorporated into this document; • institutions encourage interdisciplinary scholarship and research, including interdisciplinary teaching and learning opportunities; • institutional leaders develop incentives to encourage faculty involvement in the engagement effort; and • academic leaders secure stable funding to support engagement, through reallocation of existing funds or the establishment of a new federal/state/local/private matching fund. The report also describes the innovative ways UC Davis and 10 other land-grant and public universities have been working to become engaged institutions -- from UC Davis' more than 100 partnership programs with K-12 schools to its regional growth and economic development initiatives, Human Corps community service programs, and medical clinics treating underserved populations in the Sacramento region. "Public and land-grant universities face a growing public perception, fair or unfair, that we are aloof and out of touch, arrogant and out of date," says Commission Chair Graham Spanier. "This report provides a strategy for how we can do better -- by creating engaged institutions that serve our communities and the nation through true partnerships, sharing and reciprocity." "Land-grant institutions have a long and rich tradition of public service," says NASULGC President C. Peter Magrath. "But now that tradition must be extended and reinvigorated in the face of new challenges. This report -- with its examples of universities moving beyond conventional extension, outreach and public service to create new forms of engagement -- points the way forward to the 21st century." Based on the portraits of the 11 institutions' deep involvement with their communities, the Commission concluded that seven guiding characteristics seem to define an engaged institution: responsiveness, respect for partners, academic neutrality, accessibility, integration of engagement into institutional mission, coordination of efforts and adequacy of resources. In addition, several common themes or lessons emerged: • a clear commitment to the basic idea of engagement; • strong support for infusing engagement into curriculum and teaching mission; • remarkable diversity in approaches and efforts; and • the importance of a clear definition of "community." The entire text of "Returning to Our Roots: The Engaged Institution" is available on-line at NASULGC's Web site: http://www.nasulgc.org. Copies of a companion document, "Third Working Paper, The Engaged Institution, Profiles and Data," are available from NASULGC, (202) 478-6071; fax: (202) 478-6046. Founded in 1887, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) is the nation's oldest higher-education association. A voluntary association of public universities, land-grant institutions and many of the nation's public university systems, NASULGC campuses are located in all 50 states, the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. The association is dedicated to supporting excellence in teaching, research and public service.