Engaged scholarship and gerontological program relevance: opportunities and challenges

Engaged scholarship promotes contribution to the academic body of knowledge through equal partnership between academic scholars and community representatives in education, research, and public service or intervention. Such partnerships can expand our notions of service learning and applied research. In this article, the authors discuss the potential contribution of engaged scholarship to the relevance of gerontological education and research programs. The authors discuss the role of engaged scholarship in the philosophy of education, in the promotion of social justice, and its relevance for the civic responsibility and accountability of educational institutions. Finally, the authors describe benefits and barriers to participation in engaged scholarship and challenges in the recruitment of engaged scholars.