鳳山社區大學成立於2003年3月1日，2014年1月1日起經高雄市政府教育局委辦評選，由社團法人高雄市勞動生活教育促進會承辦。校本部目前座落於鳳山中山國小內，負責之學區除鳳山以外還包括鳥松、大樹、大寮等四個行政區。在整體辦學方式上，除與當地社區、學校和民間團體採用策略聯盟方式進行課程推動外，考量不同地區的城鄉差異和在推動社區學習上的需求，本校也針對社區營造、生態保育和文化資產等各項議題採用計劃性方式進行推動，鼓勵民眾走入社區與社大一起關心生活中的大小事。

以本校所在的「鳳山區」而言，是目前高雄市人口最多的行政區，除了是高雄市政府鳳山行政中心及高雄市議會的所在，也是地方大小選舉中各路人馬兵家必爭之地。其對高雄市的政治、經濟、文化發展，扮演著舉足輕重的地位，在推動社會學習、公民參與、社區營造和推動社會改革上，具有相當豐沛的實力。

本校在辦學理念推展上與一般的社教機構有所不同，路線上除遵循倡議人黃武雄教授所提「藉由社會學習推動社會重建、透過社會重建引導臺灣走向公民社會」的訴求以外，在方向上也針對所屬學區的特殊社會背景提出了「城鄉連結」、「青年相協」和「公共參與」等三大策略來加以落實。

考量辦學條件及因應地方環境發展需求，本校將自身定位為「帶動城鄉共榮的一所學校」，其內涵為透過地方知識之建構，將「社區」做為實踐公共參與之場域。除鼓勵班級與社區結合進行公共化發展，更以協力在地組織發展、推動社區組織成立、與公所發展公私協力關係作為發展主軸。

在校務經營方面，本校在行政組織編制上採用「學群」方式進行分工，讓所有的工作者具備課程規劃、班級經營和社區參與之能力，以強化在不同辦學環境中之機動性。另一方面，本校為促進師生參與校園共治、推動校園民主，在校務決策方面採用滾動方式進行推動，針對教師社群、學員社群、社區社群進行積極扶植，側重辦學經驗的累進與公共參與的加成。

　在公共參與方面，經過逐年的發展，鳳山社大在「公私協力」、「友善耕作」、「文化資產」、「終身學習」漸發展出經驗。

       Fongshan Community University was established on March 1, 2003. The Kaohsiung Labor and Life Education Promotion Association has operated Fongshan Community University since being selected by the Kaohsiung City Government Education Bureau on Jan. 1, 2014. The headquarters of the university is currently located at Fongshan Zhongshan Elementary School. The districts that the school is responsible for, in addition to Fongshan, also includes three administrative districts: Niaosong, Dashu, and Daliao. In terms of the overall way of administering the school, the school adopts strategic alliances with local communities, schools and non-governmental organizations to promote courses. Taking into account the differences between the urban and rural areas in different regions and the need to promote community learning, the school also focuses on the topics of community building, ecological conservation, and cultural assets. The school promote these topics in a planned way and encourages people to enter the community and care about the big and small things in life together with She Da.

In terms of the "Fongshan District" where the school is located, it is currently the most populous administrative district in Kaohsiung City. In addition to being the location of the Kaohsiung City Government's Fengshan Administrative Center and the Kaohsiung City Council, it is also the key place for candidates in local elections. It plays a pivotal role in the political, economic, and cultural development of Kaohsiung City. It has considerable strength in promoting social learning, civic participation, community building and social reform.

       The promotion of the school’s educational philosophy is also different from general social education institutions’. The school seeks to adhere to the appeal of the proponent Professor Huang Wuxiong "--- To promote social reconstruction through social learning, and guide Taiwan to becoming a civil society through social reconstruction". Additionally the school also focuses on the special social background of the school district to which it belongs. The three strategies of "urban-rural connection", "youth association", and "public participation" have been proposed for implementation.

       Considering the conditions needed for administering a school and responding to the developmental needs of the local environment, the school positions itself as "a school that drives the co-prosperity of urban and rural areas." Its connotation is to use the "community" as a field for fulfilling public participation through the continued construction of local education. In addition to encouraging the integration of classes and communities for public development, it also unites efforts in the development of local organizations, promoting the establishment of community organizations, and developing public-private partnerships with the district office as the main axis of development.

       In terms of school management, the school adopts the "learning group" method to divide the work in the administrative organization, thereby allowing all workers to have the ability to help in curriculum planning, class management, and community participation in order to strengthen flexibility within different school environments. On the other hand, in order to promote teachers and students participation in campus co-governance and campus democracy, the school adopts a rolling approach with regards to school affairs decision-making, and actively supports the teachers’ group, students’ group, and communities’ group, leading to the accumulation of experience in administering a school as well as the added bonus of public participation.

       In terms of public participation, Fongshan Community University has gradually accumulated experience in "public-private collaboration", "eco-friendly farming", "cultural assets", and "lifelong learning" after years of development.