Why does it matter?

"The rationale for public engagement is multi-faceted and can sometimes appear contradictory".

"Not only does engagement with more diverse audiences communicate our ideas and solutions more widely, it also sharpens our understanding and improves our communication, regardless of the audience"

"We can't all engage with everyone, so selecting the best type of engagement for individual researchers based upon what they are researching, their communication skills and career stage is important".

"Now is hardly a time of economic plenty for universities, so investment of time and money in activities such as public engagement needs clear justification and some measurable outputs."

"The focus on dialogue, on exchange rather than simple knowledge transfer, which is the heart of true Public Engagement, is one of the greatest challenges for the modern university."

"Today, no self-respecting university would dare to lack a civic or community mission. Understanding their institution's history is an important part of any university management's drive to contribute to contemporary society."

"I begin from an assumption - that universities have the potential to influence for the better life beyond their boundaries and that it is important to capture this potential and ensure that it leads to positive impacts".

"Universities cannot, like the ivy on their buildings, take a parasitic role, sucking resources and people from their surroundings without facing up to the responsibilities which both public funding and intellectual independence bring with them"

"....learning has been quickest when the science is particularly controversial."

"By giving ourselves an easy ride - by being satisfied by numbers or good evaluation scores or even the fact that our activities happened at all - we are, I think, missing the point."

"If we want a large scale shift in the quality and quantity of public engagement, universities will first have to provide the infrastructure to enable this to happen"

"If society were more informed about the scientific basis of finance, it would feel more confident in questioning the activities of bankers in much the same way as they question the activities of scientists and engineers."

"Community university engagement touches on massive and omnipresent areas of our actual social life - areas which are at the heart of the fabric and the material base of our society - matters which affect all of us every day of our lives".

"How could I not 'do' public engagement? I don't know how I could do my job without directly engaging with a really wide range of stakeholders and audiences at all the different stages of research."