The civically engaged university model in Colombia

The role that higher education institutions (HEIs) play in the communities to which they belong is a topic that has received attention from academics, policy-makers and HEI managers in recent years. This article provides a comprehensive outline in the area of communityuniversity partnerships (CUPs). It focuses on the active engagement of universities in the communities they serve, their models of collaboration, the motivations behind them and the impact on the social, cultural and economic development of their localities as well as the challenges for the wider community and for the life of higher education. It summarizes the current situation in Colombia and presents examples of models of CUPs around the world.