Partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions as a strategy for social change are gaining recognition and momentum. Despite being formed with the best of intentions, however, authentic partnerships are very difficult to achieve. While academic partners have extensively documented their experiences and lessons learned, the voices of community partners are largely missing. If true partnerships are to be achieved, community partners must harness their own experiences, lessons learned, and collective wisdom into a national, organized effort. With guidance from a planning committee of community leaders, Community-Campus Partnerships for Health convened a Community Partner Summit in 2006. A diverse group of 23 community leaders, each experience in community higher education partnerships, engaged in a purposeful national dialogue that emphasized lessons learned and generated recommendations and action steps that participants are taking individually and collectively. (Description adapted from Executive Summary, cited above.)

Wingspread (2006), Achieving the promise of authentic community-higher education partnerships: A community partner summit, April 24-26, 2006: Wingspread Conference Center, Racine, WI. Executive Summary.