College of Education and Human Development

Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development

Andrew Furco

  • Professor; Associate Department Chair; Co-Coordinator of Graduate Programs in Higher Education

Andrew Furco

Areas of interest

Measurement issues in experiential learning and service-learning
Pedagogies of engagement
Public purposes of K-12 and higher education systems
Values and character education in national and international contexts
Community engagement for prosocial student development

Biography

Profile

My primary research and teaching interests focus on the measurement and assessment of experiential education, community-engaged learning, and community-engaged scholarship in fulfillment of the public purposes of education. I am interested in examining these issues in the contexts of educational leadership, student learning, institutional change, program evaluation, character and values education, teacher education, prosocial youth development, and student civic and career development. My work spans K-12 and higher education and is rooted in national (U.S.) and international contexts. In recent years, I have become particularly interested in transnational studies that explore issues of community-based learning pedagogies and educational reform within and across primary, secondary, and tertiary education systems.

 My recent research projects include: the development of a global research agenda for the advancement of community engagement and service-learning in primary, secondary, and higher education (in partnership with the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement); a global initiative focused on institutionalizing service-learning and community engagement in Catholic-affiliated institutions of higher education; and a five-year, multi-site study (with Professor Geoff Maruyama), funded by the U.S. Department of Education, which focused on examining the impact of various forms of community engagement practices on the educational success of under-represented college students.

 From 2008-2021, I served as the University’s Associate Vice President for Public Engagement. In this role, I worked units across the University of Minnesota to advance the institutionalization of community engagement within the University’s research, teaching, and outreach missions. Prior to arriving at Minnesota, I worked as a researcher and faculty member in the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley, where I served as founding director the University’s Service-Learning Research and Development Center (SLRDC).

 During my 13 years as SLRDC director at Berkeley and my 15 years at the University of Minnesota, I had the privilege of working with more than 50 graduate students, from a broad range of disciplines and fields, who have served as research assistants and partners on a wide of projects.

 My current work includes serving as Associate Department Chair for OLPD and as Director of the International Center for Research on Community Engagement. I am also honored to serve as Associate Editor for Research for the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, and to serve on the Editorial Board of Directors for Revista Iberoamericana de Aprendizaje Servicio, the first scientific journal in Spanish dedicated to disseminating research, reflections, and experiences pertaining to service-learning.

Courses

  • OLPD 5736: Public Engagement and Higher Education

Honors

  • Alec Dickson Servant Leadership Award for Lifetime Achievement in Service-Learning (2022), Awarded by the National Youth Leadership Council
  • President's Civic Engagement Leadership Award, University of Minnesota (2022), Awarded by Iowa/Minnesota Campus Compact
  • John S. Duley Lifetime Achievement Award in Experiential Education (2021), Awarded by the National Society for Experiential Education
  • Inducted into the Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship (2015)
  • Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award (2012), Awarded by National Campus Compact
  • Researcher of the Year (2006), Awarded by the National Society for Experiential Education
  • John Glenn Scholar for Service-Learning (2004), Awarded by the Ohio State University
  • Distinguished Research Award (2003), Awarded by International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE)
  • Mellon Faculty Fellowship for Advancing Research in Undergraduate Education (2003), Awarded by University of California, Berkeley
  • Campus Compact National Engaged Scholar (1999), Awarded by National Campus Compact
Publications

Furco, A., Bruininks, R.H., Jones, R.J., & Kent, K. (Eds.) (2022). Re-envisioning the public research university: Navigating competing demands in an era of rapid change. Routledge (232 pages).

Blanchard, L. & Furco, A. (2021). Faculty engaged scholarship: Setting standards and building conceptual clarity, (pp. 1-42). Academy of Community Engagement Scholarship.

Furco, A. (2021). La crescente diffusione del service-learning nell’insegnamento primario e secondario. Quaderni di Pedagogia della Scuola,1, 23-36., [in Italian]

Furco, A. (2019). Progreso en el desarrollo mundial de la investigación y la práctica del aprendizaje y servicio (AS). In G. Santander (Ed.), Aprendizaje y servicio desde la mirada de sus protagonistas. Editorial Universidad Santo Tomás [in Spanish].

Song, W., Furco, A., Maruyama, G. & Lopez, I. (2018). Early exposure to service-learning and college success beyond the freshman year. International Journal of Research for Service-Learning and Community Engagement, 6(1), Article 15, 1-20.

Song, W., Furco, A., Lopez, I. & Maruyama, G. (2017). Examining the relationship betweenservice-learning participation and the educational success of underrepresented students. Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning, 24(1), 23-37.

Dienhart, C., Maruyama, G., Snyder, M., Furco, A., Siems-McKay, M., Hirt, L. & Huesman, R. (2016). The impacts of mandatory service on students in service-learning classes. Journal of Social Psychology, 156(3), 305-309.

Furco, A. (2016). The engaged university. A comprehensive approach to enhancing the social responsibility of higher education. In D. Brunelle (Ed.), L’internationalisation de la Mission Sociale des Universités dans les Amériques : Défis, Enjeux et Stratégies I (pp. 81-108). Institut d'Etudes Internationales de Montréal.

Jagla, V., Furco, A., & Strait, J. (Eds.) (2015). Service-Learning: How does it measure up? Information Age Publishing. (245 pages).

Furco, A. (2013). Legitimizing community engagement with K-12 schools. Peabody Journal of Education, 88(5), 622-636.

Furco, A. & Moely, B.E. (2012). Using learning communities to build faculty support for pedagogical innovation: A multicampus study. Journal of Higher Education. 83(1), 128-153.

Furco, A. (2010). The engaged campus: Toward a comprehensive approach to public engagement. British Journal of Educational Studies, 58(4), 375-390. doi: 10.1080/00071005.2010.52765

Moely, B. E., Furco, A., & Reed, J. (2008). Charity and social change: The impact of individual preferences on service-learning. Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning, 15(1), 37-48.

Furco, A. (2002). Institutionalizing service-learning in higher education. Journal of Public Affairs, 6, 39-67.

Billig, S. H. & Furco, A. (Eds.) (2002). Service-learning through a multidisciplinary lens. Information Age Publishing.

Furco, A. & Billig, S.H. (Eds.) (2001). Service-learning: The essence of the pedagogy. Information Age Publishing.