Understanding the "partner" in partnerships: A review of the literature on effective university community partnering

Sustainable and effective university-community partnerships are not easy to create, yet they are an integral part of student community-based learning (Enos & Morton, 2003). To date, the main emphasis in most university-community partner research has been on the participating students, with a paucity of attention paid to the equal partners in the venture- the local community organization members (Bushouse, 2005). In this paper, the extant literature on effective university-community partnering is reviewed and key themes are drawn to assist practitioners and researchers who are involved in the design, execution and analysis of partnership programs. The goal of this paper is to highlight issues related to effective university-community partnering, with an emphasis on issues raised from the community partner perspective. This paper should provide a benchmark for academics and community members to use as they embark upon their first, or develop their existing, university-community partnership programs.