Community Engagement Summit: Co-Creating a Thriving Community

The University of Virginia will host its inaugural 2026 Community Engagement Summit on Thursday, October 15, at Newcomb Hall, bringing together UVA faculty, staff, students, and university partners for a day centered on purposeful community engagement. 

Join Us!

The event's featured highlight will be a keynote conversation between Tania D. Mitchell, Associate Provost for Community Engagement at the University of Maryland, and Dr. Stephanie Rowley, Dean of the UVA School of Education and Human Development. Their conversation will explore the role of higher education in building meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships with the communities it serves.

Throughout the day, attendees will have opportunities to exchange ideas and explore topics through panels on community-engaged scholarship, service-learning, healthy communities, and more. 

The summit recognizes that by bringing diverse perspectives together, UVA and its neighbors can strengthen existing partnerships while creating new opportunities to serve the greater Charlottesville-Albemarle region.

The day will conclude with the Public Service Week Reception from 5-7 PM at the Contemplative Commons building, offering attendees an opportunity to continue their conversations and further connect with colleagues. 

Summit Registration

Community Engagement Summit Agenda

Time	Session	Details
8:30 AM–9:30 AM	Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:30 AM–9:45 AM	Opening & Welcome Remarks
9:45 AM–10:00 AM	Gathered & Grounded	We begin the day with a brief guided mindfulness practice designed to help you arrive fully, connect with others, and focus your energy for the experiences ahead.
10:05 AM–11:20 AM	Concurrent Session Block 1	Participants will have the opportunity to choose among three concurrent sessions centering on Community-Engaged Scholarship, K–12 Education, Healthy Communities, Service Learning and Student Engagement, Community Partnerships, or Measuring Impact (Assessing Outcomes).
11:20 AM–11:30 AM	Break	Participants will have the opportunity to take a break and visit the information tables of community partners, UVA offices, and student organizations focused on mutually beneficial engagement and partnerships.
11:30 AM–12:45 PM	Concurrent Session Block 2	Participants will have the opportunity to choose among three concurrent sessions centering on Community-Engaged Scholarship, K–12 Education, Healthy Communities, Service Learning and Student Engagement, Community Partnerships, or Measuring Impact (Assessing Outcomes).
12:45 PM–2:15 PM	Lunch & Keynote	Lunch will be provided.
2:15 PM–2:45 PM	Get to Know the Network	Participants will have the opportunity to visit the information tables of community partners, UVA offices, and student organizations focused on mutually beneficial engagement and partnerships, or gather for conversation and plan for future follow-up with new contacts.
2:45 PM–3:45 PM	Community Discussion & Commitments to Ongoing Work	This will be an opportunity to engage in facilitated conversation about topics, ideas, and priorities emerging from the concurrent sessions, ongoing projects and partnerships, and the vision for the future of publicly engaged work with partners and UVA.
3:45 PM–4:15 PM	Grounded & Going Forward	We will close the summit by reflecting on key takeaways, identifying actionable next steps, and committing to carrying the momentum forward in your work and community.
5:00 PM–7:00 PM	Public Service Week Reception	Location: Contemplative Commons 403 Emmet St S Charlottesville, VA 22903 Community Engagement Summit attendees are invited to connect with community members and colleagues from Cville-Albemarle, UVA, Madison House, and more after the Summit. RSVP for the Public Service Week Reception

More Details

For more information on speakers, panelists, the agenda, and ways to support the 2026 Community Engagement Summit, check out UVA's Division for Community Engagement and Equal Opportunity's summit webpage.

We hope to see you there!