Practical engagement programs: the “PEP” at Michigan‘s School of Information Available to Purchase

The School of Information at the University of Michigan has adopted a bold interdisciplinary curriculum focused on creating a new discipline. Two of the program‘s central tenets hold that students will learn the practice of the new discipline in the real‐world activities and that faculty must also establish firm links between their research and the communities which ultimately benefit. Therefore, the School’s Practical Engagement Program is developing models which will sustain and foster practice‐integration. This article lays out the models and identifies the anticipated challenges.