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Service learning has many documented benefits for students. The benefits to the communities are less clear. This study examines the unfolding of an environmental service-learning partnership from the perspective of one participating community liaison. We examine a new model of university-community engagement, where undergraduate students are paired with a local community to address environmental issues in courses that focus on adaptation and mitigation. We use actor-network theory (ANT) to explore the experiences of one community liaison, focusing specifically on factors that helped build and maintain the partnership and produced benefits for the community. Findings highlight the community liaison’s agency in negotiating partnership goals and determining the definition and treatment of environmental concerns. We conclude by identifying the insights an ANT perspective holds for service-learning and community-engagement research and practice. 

The University of Connecticut’s Climate Corps (https://climate.uconn.edu/climate-corps/) is an undergraduate program in which students participate in a class on climate change impacts and adaptation, followed by an independent study (IS) working on climate adaptation projects with community partners. Since its beginning in 2017, 130 students have participated in the academic course, and 76 have continued with the IS, completing 38 projects with 28 community partners.