In this article, author Ernest Boyer comes to the conclusion that scholarship of engagement has meaning at two levels: (1) connecting the university's rich resources to the most pressing social, civic, and ethical problems, making it the staging ground for action; and (2) creating a climate in which academic and civic cultures communicate more continuously and creatively, enlarging the universe of human discourse and enriching the quality of life for all. He concludes that ultimately, the scholarship of engagement also means creating a special climate in which the academic and civic cultures communicate more continuously and more creatively with each other, helping to enlarge what anthropologist Clifford Geertz describes as the universe of human discourse and enriching the quality of life for everyone. [This article was originally published in: "Journal of Public Service & Outreach" v1 n1 p11-20 Spr 1996 (EJ532751). It was originally adapted from a speech delivered at the Induction Ceremony of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, MA, October 11, 1995. For the 2016 commentary on this article, "Ernest Boyer's 'Scholarship of Engagement' in Retrospect," see EJ1097218.]