Save the date for Pitt’s Community Engaged Scholarship Forum on March 2

Each year, Pitt elevates, celebrates and reflects on collective approaches to community-engaged scholarship at the University at the Community Engaged Scholarship Forum (CESF).

CESF provides an opportunity for faculty, students, staff and community members to present their community-engaged work, discover new avenues of partnership, network and celebrate Pitt's commitment to community engagement.

The theme for CESF 2027 is “Rooted in Practice.” The ethos of community-engaged research and teaching have always been rooted in co-creation and community voice. CESF 2027 asks what it takes to honor that ethos structurally by designing institutions as genuine knowledge partners, embedding community knowledge into lasting roles that sustain our work long after the grant cycle ends.

Award nominations are open

In addition to hosting workshops and poster sessions, the forum also serves as the venue to honor projects with awards including the Partnerships of Distinction, the Soska and Wilds Outreach and Engagement Leadership, and the CESF Collaboration Champion awards.

Partnerships of Distinction

The Award for Partnerships of Distinction annually recognizes outstanding partnerships that are exemplars of community engagement. Up to three awardees may be chosen annually. Each award consists of a $2,000 operating grant to support partnership activities. All awardees are honored publicly. The award will be conferred during the University’s Community Engaged Scholarship Forum on March 2, 2027. Submit a nomination by Dec. 1 for the 2027 Partnerships of Distinction Awards.

CESF Collaboration Champion Award

The CESF Collaboration Champion Award recognizes a member of the Pitt community or a community partner who has made significant contributions to the University’s culture of collaboration, further sustaining and supporting the institution’s commitment to strengthening communities through teamed work. The award is open to any member of the greater Pittsburgh region and is not limited to the Pitt community. Submit a nomination by Jan. 15 for the CESF Collaboration Champion Award.

Tracy Soska and John Wilds Outreach and Engagement Leadership Award

The Tracy Soska and John Wilds Outreach and Engagement Leadership Award honors a faculty member or staff engagement professional who serves Pitt through their outstanding dedication to University-community connections. Through their contributions, the awardee strengthens the institution’s knowledge, understanding, practice and reflection on the opportunities of community-based collaboration. Nominees must have been employed by the University for at least five years from award conferral (on or before March 2, 2021). Submit a nomination by Jan. 15 for the Soska and Wilds Award.

Submit a poster proposal

While the individual efforts of teams and communities have resulted in shining examples of what is possible through engaged scholarship, our society requires increasingly interconnected approaches to problem solving that result in partnerships advancing multiple aspects of community resilience. The Forum invites you to join us to explore opportunities to work across organizations, disciplines and sets of solutions that mobilize previously disconnected efforts in creative ways. Submit a poster presentation proposal by Jan. 15.