Community Partnerships Strategic Plan

Transcription

1 Community Partnerships Strategic Plan Vision The Office of Community Partnerships (OCP), an office in the Chancellor s division of the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) will become a national leader in creating, developing, and deploying impactful community partnerships that advance its teaching and research mission while strengthening ties to a global community. Mission To proactively provide leadership to existing relationships and generate new partnerships that lead to the development of meaningful opportunities that successfully integrate university functions enabling highly productive, sustainable collaborations among industry, government and non-profit entities and interactions with faculty, staff and students. I. Statement of Need UNCW has supported a traditional, decentralized approach to community engagement which has maintained a range of relationships at all levels of the university. A need for a more centralized comprehensive and intentional approach has emerged. Because UNCW is uniquely positioned to make significant contributions to our community and corporate development, and because we each have significant impacts on each other, Community Partnerships is able to provide the responsive, holistic approach desired by industry, government and organizations while internally enabling other university stakeholders (i.e. student affairs, colleges, advancement, other services, etc.) to leverage resources, capabilities and assets through coordinated engagement, analytics and communications. II. Definition As defined by the Carnegie Foundation, community engagement describes the collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in the context of a partnership. Partnerships developed for collaborative, beneficial relationships between UNCW and communities and corporations exhibit several of the following characteristics: a. Are tied to an external community or corporate organization(s). b. Focus on a community or corporate need or issue where UNCW takes a leading role in affecting change. c. Activities are of mutual benefit to the whole university and for the growth and development of the partner. d. Provides opportunities for faculty, staff and students to participate in impactful community- and/or corporate-based learning, research or service. e. Are usually formalized, and may have a contract or memorandum of agreement to specify the terms of operation. f. May be funded from a variety of sources including university funds. Some partnerships are unfunded and have only in-kind support. Community Partnerships Strategic Plan Office of the Chancellor Page 1 of 6

2 g. May be a fee for service or professional development training provided in support of a public or community organization. III. IV. Focus The purpose of the Community Partnerships organizational structure is to provide the university leadership as a means to strategically strengthen relationships with the global community through an improved approach that facilitates interactions between industry, government, the community and the university. We will: 1. Manage select strategic organizations to grow relationships in areas of community and corporate engagement; 2. Collaborate with faculty and staff and corporate and community representatives to communicate plans and goals for improved interactions; 3. Establish best practices and data infrastructure to develop plans and implement actions leading to the most successful outcomes; 4. Produce communications and marketing materials that guide the development of partnerships and benefit community and corporate representatives in organizational interactions. Assets and Organization Only through collaborative and communicative efforts of the divisions of UNCW will this plan be successful: Academic Affairs Advancement Athletics Business Affairs Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship CREST Research Park Information Technology Systems Sponsored Research and Graduate Studies Student Affairs University Relations Community and Corporate Engagement Traditionally, UNCW has incorporated a very active culture of community service and outreach, and our students, alumni, faculty, staff, parents and donors continue to build a strong relationship with constituents of the region. Similarly, corporate engagement activities are incorporated into aspects of UNCW aimed at enhancing development and economic services. Community Partnerships will advance the university s mission to engage the local and broader community in partnerships that promote learning, discovery and economic development. These may include (but are not limited to): research opportunities for faculty and students to find solutions for corporate, community and/or government challenges and to enhance business growth volunteer service, coordination and implementation for community development initiatives faculty and staff expertise shared through organizational training and skill development corporate and community program evaluation and assessment by faculty and students reciprocal mentorship of students, faculty and community and business leaders Community Partnerships Strategic Plan Office of the Chancellor Page 2 of 6

3 OCP will be a national leader in a model that strengthens key strategic internal and external relationships and identifies innovative new avenues of partnership in a comprehensive manner that spans across multiple disciplines. GOAL: Connect our corporate and community partners with the Journey of Learning, the Love of Place and the Power of Ideas and Innovation. Developing expectations will serve as the foundation for increasing the culture of community and corporate engagement among students, faculty and staff. Strengthen the University s reputation as a visible, reliable, and effective body in addressing the most pressing immediate and long-term public and private needs to demonstrate UNCW s love of place and promote the power of ideas and innovation which positions us as a driving force in building a vibrant community. 1. Conduct external evaluations of the community and business members attitudes and opinions of the University as a community partner; 2. Continue dialogue and university-based and community-based discussions with corporate and community partners to explore and assess their needs, issues and concerns 3. Engage community and business leaders in key decision making boards and review committees pertaining to the establishment of partnership policies and programs; 4. Participate in and give support to business and community-sponsored events and activities; 5. Develop and formalize short- and long-range plans and action steps for inclusion in community enhancement and corporate growth. Develop, support, and implement strategic initiatives that raise the status and legitimacy of community partnerships in ways that promote the advancement of the university. 1. Actively recruit faculty and academic leaders to participate in existing and new engaged scholarship activities and initiatives; 2. Initiate a Chancellor-level legacy within the community which elicits university-wide attention, support, collaboration and participation in activities that promote the betterment of humanity through citizenship, leadership and innovation. 3. Consult and coordinate with departmental teams in the development of engaged teaching and outreach opportunities that enhance each discipline 4. Develop a foundational structure intended to increase capacity and resource focus while engaging community and corporate partners effectively and efficiently, or simply, to enable UNCW to move at the speed of business. Support university personnel, programs and divisions in the development and growth of their expertise and prominence through shared data and connections within our resource network. 1. Institute initiatives that strengthen capacities to increase partnership opportunities; 2. Work with the Division of Student Affairs to support a leadership and mentorship program in which student leaders are provided guidance and training by community and business leaders; 3. Collaborate with national and international experts to share insights on university-wide partnership institutionalization and development; 4. Cultivate leadership opportunities that enhance involvement in purposeful civic service; Community Partnerships Strategic Plan Office of the Chancellor Page 3 of 6

4 5. Develop a university-wide process for nominating university personnel for internal and external engagement awards; 6. Recruit outstanding engagement leaders at the university to serve as spokespersons to demonstrate different ways of developing an engaged scholarly agenda; 7. Work with Academic Affairs to develop criteria for reviewing and optimizing the quality of service-learning courses, internships and other community-involved educational experiences. Encourage and support business and economic development by generating objective research that presents opportunities and solutions for evolving professional issues. 1. Support, implement, and evaluate innovative approaches that produce business growth activities as an effective strategy for advancing the university s key role as an economic driver; 2. List university research and teaching initiatives (e.g., interdisciplinary initiatives, undergraduate research, international studies, intercultural competence and multicultural initiatives, etc.) and identify action steps for finding and developing corporate partnerships that can facilitate the accomplishment of set goals; 3. Conduct a study of other universities and their approaches to infusing business growth into key research and teaching objectives; 4. Assess current business relationships to discover potential partnership opportunities and develop strategies toward next steps; 5. Collaborate and support the programs and initiatives of the CIE, its start-up companies and high-growth corporate partners with networking and research opportunities that promote continued growth. Explore and pilot new approaches to expand the impact and strength of community and corporate engagement to align with the broader community around shared interests, issues and objectives. 1. Establish and commit to UNCW Signature Project(s) that, along with current volunteer projects, provide parameters that incorporate volunteerism, learning, research and economic growth while inspiring a love of place. 2. Create a Citizenship Pledge for UNCW faculty, staff and students to commit to Year of Service initiatives 3. Establish processes to increase the number and frequency of beneficial interactions with community and corporate partners, including internships, recruitment, and research opportunities a. Increase the level of students, faculty and staff volunteerism to 100% participation b. Increase the number of volunteer hours from 70,000 to 500,000 c. Measure increases in total corporate investment and commitment through gifts, sponsored research, and private grants Create a Campus Outreach Council, appointed by the Chancellor, of designated outreach and engagement faculty, staff and students to act as a liaison network, both internally and externally, to assist in the implementation of OCP goals and missions. 1. Externally, the Council will act as the liaison for his/her partnering organizations, navigating new and current opportunities within the community 2. Internally, the Council will maintain regular communications among colleagues within defined departments to identify and prioritize potential cross discipline collaborations Community Partnerships Strategic Plan Office of the Chancellor Page 4 of 6

5 3. The Council will partner with the Faculty Senate s Engagement & Outreach Committee to encourage cross discipline collaborations, consider assessment of partnerships and communicate successes 4. The Council will consider and recommend reporting methodologies and measures of success Analytics It is critically important to measure the community and economic engagement impact and demonstrate the relevant contribution UNCW makes to the economy, community growth, education and quality of life. To do this, the data infrastructure must be established to help us develop a current partner analysis that will lead to a partnership continuum. Goal 1: With Information Technology Systems, establish a set of metrics and data systems for accounting and assessing the broad range of engagement activities, tracking the engagement flow, analyzing organizations for interest intersections with the university and determining steps that lead to maximum potential. Develop an integrated project management system for university-wide engagement activities that will: 1. provide cross-platform access to data from current systems used for reporting and merge that data into usable information for community and corporate partner analysis; 2. Develop a database for the collection of an inventory of engaged scholarship and service across the disciplines; 3. Track the flow of partner engagement within university divisions with updates to new data 4. Identify indicators and review current and new data to assess the scale and scope of engagement initiatives to qualify and quantify new opportunities; 5. Work with the Office for Institutional Research and other appropriate units to identify places in which engagement reporting processes can be improved and enhanced; 6. Measure, revise, and test benchmarking tools Establish a set of metrics and data systems for the collection of reported engagement activities to measure impact, which can be leveraged for funding, policies, development and expansion. 1. Mine existing engagement and research data to document areas of impacts that are being measured as well as gaps in knowledge; 2. Establish a timeline for measuring specific impacts and trend outcomes of engagement to advance the understanding of corporate and community engagement; Communications Along with other media strategies already in place and being developed, communications and marketing materials that guide the development of partnerships will be important to share the university s partnership model and build recognition as one of the leading engaged universities. Goal 1: Share the university s partnership stories through regional, state, national and international networks as a means to build recognition as one of the leading engaged universities Community Partnerships Strategic Plan Office of the Chancellor Page 5 of 6

6 Create a webpage that lists and showcases various departmental partnership initiatives, expectations and outcomes; Support University members participation at leading national and international engagement conferences; Develop and study innovative and cutting edge approaches to community and corporate engagement and disseminate experiences and findings widely; Develop a public relations campaign that spotlights the range and depth of the university s engagement initiatives through multiple media venues; Market partnership activities in university publicity for admissions, new faculty and new student orientations, staff recruitment, university general catalogue, and websites; Produce a series of two-minute promotional videos highlighting the university s relationships and partnerships with community and business leaders; Produce annual reporting that showcases and evaluates successes and initiatives developed for the attainment of stated goals Establish an effective communications program with inclusion in the university-wide e- newsletters to inform the institution about upcoming community and corporate leader visits, important activities, and new partnering opportunities Support Student Affairs goal of creating an Engagement Wall in the Fisher Center to help UNCW tell its story as it relates to community service Goal 2: Increase awareness of community engagement data Record and capture indicators to include inventory, hours, participation, impact and partners for engagement efforts Include data in annual and quarterly reports to Boards of Trustees, Visitors and Foundation members Develop a dashboard of data accumulated on engagement webpage and student wall display Utilize student-led organizations (Student Affairs, Athletics, etc.) to share video clips and photos of engagement Share engagement data in annual engagement impact report Community Partnerships Strategic Plan Office of the Chancellor Page 6 of 6