Kevin Washo
Senior Vice Chancellor for External Relations
At the University of Pittsburgh, we measure success not only by what happens on our campuses, but by the well-being of the communities we serve. For nearly 240 years, Pitt has been rooted in this region and committed to its growth. That commitment endures through our focus on Public Impact.
Pitt advances Public Impact in many ways: as an engaged partner in solving public challenges, as an economic anchor that buys, builds, and hires locally, as a provider of lifelong learning and workforce development, and as a responsive neighbor.
These roles reflect a guiding question: How can Pitt’s academic mission make life better for others?
Engaged scholarship is one important way we deliver on that commitment. Through collaborative research partnerships grounded in community priorities, our faculty, students, and partners generate impactful knowledge and solutions. The Community Engaged Scholarship Forum convenes these scholars and partners, elevating their work and strengthening the relationships behind it.
This year’s focus on economic opportunity and skills-based pathways reminds us that when we partner with community wisdom, we imagine and build better futures together. That’s Public Impact in action and conveys “It’s Possible at Pitt.”
Joseph J. McCarthy
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor
The theme of this year’s Community Engaged Scholarship Forum—Community-Centered Futures—highlights Pitt’s continued commitment to elevating, celebrating, and strengthening collective approaches to community-engaged scholarship across the University and beyond. This theme encourages us to consider how deliberate, community-informed approaches to shaping economies, institutions, and places can advance regional growth while centering the well-being of the communities they serve.
Each year, the Community Engaged Scholarship Forum provides an important opportunity for faculty, students, staff, and community partners to share their community-engaged work, discover new avenues for collaboration, and connect with others who are advancing similar efforts. Since its inception, the forum has fostered dialogue, learning, and partnership that deepen Pitt’s engagement locally, regionally, and nationally.
CESF 2026 builds on forum conversations begun in 2019, and extends these discussions toward additional pathways for economic opportunity. This year’s program reflects a shared commitment to community-centered approaches that strengthen systems, support sustainable development, and center the voices and priorities of our communities.
I extend my sincere thanks to those who shaped this year’s forum and to all participants for their dedication to community-engaged scholarship. Your work continues to advance meaningful partnerships and to help envision futures rooted in collaboration, equity, and shared prosperity.