The position of universities within our society has never been simultaneously more vulnerable nor important. Globally, the purpose and value of higher education in the twenty first century, is being seriously challenged more than ever before. Locally, we are confronted with social and economic problems that continue to plague the previously excluded and marginalised in South Africa. This fact is clearly evident in the location of Rhodes University, situated, as it is, in the midst of poverty, in a town with high unemployment and in one of the poorest and most neglected provinces in the country. This demands of us to ask the question that is currently resonating the world over: What then is the purpose of a university? And while we are attempting to answer this question, specifically for the South African context, we should be aware of the urgency to reimagine ourselves and step up, work collectively to redress the imbalances in our society Community engagement demands of us to ask the question? What is the purpose of education generally and higher education in particular? For it is through the various forms of community engagement as demonstrated by Rhodes University, staff and students of this institution are provided with opportunities to step out of the boundaries of the institution and share their knowledge, skills and talents with others. And in doing so, learn about their own sense of being in relation to others, further develop humane qualities or virtues that may be latent, and enhance skills that will be of benefit in future employment situations. Community engagement shifts the purpose of higher education from that of producing students for the labour market to the integral development of students, that is, emphasising the interconnection of mind, body and heart. https://www.ru.ac.za/communityengagement/