Of the responsibilities of a university communications professor--teaching, research, and service--community service usually receives the least amount of professional recognition. One reason is that community service is often unrelated both to academic expertise and to responsibilities within the university system. It is an action undertaken not at the request of a department or university but as a response to requests from outside the campus. However, efforts of professors and students can serve cities, for example, in three capacities: technical expertise and performance skills, information exchange to improve communication processes, and advice in assuming an advocate role in political action and use of publicity. Research can yield other areas relevant to communication study in which the professor can provide service beyond the university. Community service can demonstrate the relevance of the university to the citizens that support it, indicate the importance of communication knowledge, and provide new dimensions to classroom experiences. (RN)