In a commentary, SMU Dean of Students and Professor of Communication Management (Practice) Mark Chong and Chew Han Ei, Associate Director of SMU’s Office of Impact, highlighted that a university’s impact should be measured not only by what graduates achieve after leaving campus, but also by what students contribute to society while they are still there. They said SMU’s Project Espressivo shows how sustained civic engagement – with a real partner, a clear need, prepared students and learning carried forward – enables student contribution to be useful, sustained and respectful of partners. They added that universities should treat community engagement as a system so that student service contributes to society in the present tense.
