Gateways is pleased to publish its fourth volume, a special edition on the theme of ‘Sustaining community-university partnerships’. It is the result of a collaboration between Gateways and the University of Brighton Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp), and is guest edited by Professor Angie Hart and Simon Northmore of Cupp.

Gathered together in this volume are articles from around the world, reflecting on projects and partnerships big and small, young and more established. The articles provide us with a wealth of detailed material and identify some important characteristics of sustainable community-university partnership working, often in the context of socioeconomic disadvantage. The commitment, creativity and ingenuity on display in these articles suggests that there are many reasons for optimism when reflecting on the sustainability of community-university partnerships.

Welcome to the third volume of Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement, a joint initiative of the Shopfront at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), and the Center for Urban Research and Learning (CURL) at Loyola University, Chicago. This volume demonstrates the rich diversity of the work being undertaken in the area of community engagement as well as the ongoing reflection that accompanies such work. Included are articles that examine the challenges and opportunities of methodological practices such as participatory action research (PAR), while others explore the complex nature of engaged work ‘at the coalface’. Questions are raised about the various players in community-university engagement; in particular a number of articles examine the role of universities as ‘agents of change’ or intermediaries, capable of harnessing partnerships and public participation for positive action. Also explored are issues around the compatibility of learning from community-engagement versus traditional educational approaches in tertiary institutions.

Welcome to Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement, a joint initiative of the Shopfront at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and the Center for Urban Research and Learning (CURL) at Loyola University, Chicago. This inaugural issue demonstrates the diversity of the work being undertaken in the area of community engagement. We look forward to developing an international dialogue in this emerging field.

Welcome to the second volume of Gateways, which is a special issue edited by Martin Hall, Judy Favish, Janice McMillan and Sonwabo Ngcelwane. The volume looks at the various ways social responsiveness is being addressed at the University of Cape Town.