This study aims to investigate top-down and bottom-up university–community engagement (UCE) programs to identify the critical factors influencing sustainable and impactful UCE.
A systematic literature review was conducted, analyzing UCE implementation reports published in peer-reviewed journals indexed in Scopus and Web of Science. Final studies (n = 47) were selected from an initial pool of 3,428 extracted studies. Thematic analysis was applied to synthesize key findings.
The study highlights that, regardless of whether UCE programs are a top-down or bottom-up approach, their success in achieving sustainability and impact depends on effective implementation. Certain factors – such as adequate support systems, program flexibility, power balance and relevance – contribute to UCE success in both contexts. Additionally, specific factors, including awareness and diligence in fulfilling mandated responsibilities, as well as strong motivation and long-term commitment, are uniquely relevant to either top-down or bottom-up approaches.
This study provides new insights into how UCE operates within different approaches and offers strategic recommendations for fostering sustainable and impactful UCE implementation.
