Forty-eight representatives from 22 higher education institutions and organisations attended the workshop on Community Engagement that was held on the 21 September 2005.

The University of Pretoria made available its facilities for the Workshop and provided hospitality to the participants. The background to the workshop is that Universities are increasingly concerned about enhancing their responsiveness to community needs and to derive maximum benefit in respect of teaching and learning and research. Internationally, community engagement is widely recognised as a means by which curricula and scholarship can be enriched, including the institution's staff, and by which students can become better informed and socially responsive citizens.

The workshop was opened by Prof Calie Pistorius, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, University of Pretoria. Three Australian Pro-Vice Chancellors made presentations on community engagement at their respective Australian universities: Prof. Geoff Scott, Prof. Gail Hart and Prof. Sharon Bell. Mr Jo Lazarus, Joint Education Trust (JET) Education Services gave an overview of community engagement in South Africa.