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At BC\\u2019s Simon Fraser University, \\u201cthe Engaged University,\\u201d the slogan is much more than mere marketing; it\\u2019s the focus for the institution\\u2019s planning framework. (Although yes, it also helps differentiate the university\\u2019s brand.) SFU president Andrew Petter invited Ken Steele for a campus site visit late last year, and this is the first of many episodes that will be the result.

Since the brand launched in 2012, SFU\\u2019s Engagement Strategy has articulated how the institution will make a strategic priority of engagement:

Engaging Students through active and experiential learning, community service learning, co-ops and business incubators.

Engaging Research by partnering with people and organizations in the community and worldwide for mutual benefit.

Engaging Communities beyond mere philanthropy. SFU doesn\\u2019t just provide value, but gains value in the process.

See \\u201cSFU: Engaging the World\\u201d at https://youtu.be/QeHcNcdAglo

What\\u2019s most striking about the SFU vision is how it has been thoroughly socialized across all of its campuses, from Burnaby to Surrey and downtown Vancouver. Ken heard about engagement loud and clear when he spoke with Howard Jang (then the Director of SFU Woodward\\u2019s Cultural Unit), Joy Johnson (VP Research & International), Shawn Smith (Co-Director of RADIUS SFU social innovation lab and venture incubator), Sarah Lubik (Director of Entrepreneurship & Innovation), Shauna Sylvester (Director, SFU Centre for Dialogue), and Am Johal (Director of SFU\\u2019s VanCity Office of Community Engagement). More from these interviews will appear in future episodes!

SFU students even put the theme to music in this official anthem, created for SFU\\u2019s 50th anniversary: https://youtu.be/L1AfIcsDNxU

The vision has taken root across the campus because the commitment to engagement has been \\u201cpart of the DNA\\u201d of the institution for decades. It was not a top-down strategy, but it has helped to focus and motivate faculty and staff efforts -- and as it has started to shape hiring decisions, the momentum for engagement continues to build.

One of SFU\\u2019s signature engagement programs is the Public Square, which organizes speakers and events that can be shared, both online and through mass media partnerships, to engage the broader public in dialogue. https://youtu.be/sxVGSFchR2c

SFU also clearly invests the resources necessary to produce top-quality video content for use in the classroom and for the public. And SFU\\u2019s commitment to engaging the public includes developing some of the best higher ed April Fool\\u2019s videos in the world. (See our episode on \\u201cHigher Ed Hijinks\\u201d at https://youtu.be/I2v4DnFX_Oo ).

Next week, we\\u2019ll look at some even more \\u201cconcrete\\u201d ways in which SFU contributes to community-building, investing in physical infrastructure to engage and even create communities. To be sure you don\\u2019t miss it, subscribe today!

And if you would like to host a 10K Site Visit at your campus, see http://eduvation.ca/twk/site-visits/ for further information!