Challenges and Strategies for Partnerships & Placements

2 Context  What do we need to do to build, manage, and sustain campus- community partnerships that engage students and others in meaningful work that results in community impact?

Partner Selection The Bonner Program has in place an appropriate, effective strategy for selecting or confirming community partners. Ideally, this strategy involves annual planning, including in written form (applications or agreements) with partners with whom the program has multi- year, complex partnerships. This strategy includes orientation for partners around the Bonner Program models, frameworks, and expectations on both sides. basic written forms applications, higher level agreements long-term strategic planning not much orientation

4 Questions  For newer programs, what have been the challenges with creating or selecting partners for Bonner?  For established programs, what have been the challenges with partner selection, renewal, or discontinuing?

Developmental Model in Place The mix of community partners offers a set of student service placements that are developmental and progressively challenging. The developmental framework is also in place with community partnerships, supported concretely by its integration into partner orientation, materials, selection process, and ongoing management and communication. A developmental structure shows up in the coding of agencies and in students’ CLAs in the reporting in BWBRS. majority integrate developmental model need to strengthen developmental placements

6 Questions  What are best strategies for helping partners understand and actualize placements on various levels? What are challenges for partners?

Partners as Co-Educators The Bonner Program actively engages community partners as co-educators. Community partners are informed and engaged in providing training, orientation, guidance, and other structured or innovative learning opportunities to students. some partners are engaged as co- educators

8 Questions  What have been the challenges with engaging partners as co- educators —especially in more than a “present at one meeting” way?

Site-Based Model & Coordinators The Bonner Program utilizes a site-based partnership model, with some sites identified as longer-term or multi-year. Many of the sites are team-based, and sites with a team of students (four or more students) also have a (student) project/site coordinator. site-based model, with several partners identified as multi-year committed partners

10 Questions  Let’s break this down a bit...who has...  What have been the main challenges with integrating multiple levels of engagement at a site?

CBR & Policy Research The institution is engaged in community-based and/or policy research, working with community partners to identify their research needs that can be met through academic research or work. This is an extension of the type of service and resources that the institution can collaborate to provide to the community and also engages students (and faculty) in deeper learning and analysis. minimal faculty interest moderate faculty interest

12 Questions  What does it take to interest partners in CBR and policy research?  What does it take to interest faculty and to connect them with partners?

Partner Evaluation The Bonner Program utilizes a partner evaluation process, which involves providing both partners and students with the opportunity to provide formal (written) evaluation and feedback at least once each year (or each semester). In addition, the program provides partners and students with ongoing informal opportunities for feedback and recognition. partner evaluation with majority of partners, but could better integrate info partner evaluation with most partners, but could better strengthen use of info

14 Questions  What are key challenges with partner evaluation?  Why is integrating feedback to make change challenging?

47% 92% Community Partner Survey: Status vs Need 19% 89% 87% 85% 92% 88% 34% 24% 25% 28%

16 Sharing Example  Siena College — DEEP Service philosophy & creation of site-based, multi-issue team model  Rhodes College — restructuring program to issue teams, BRIDGES partner

17 Insights  Need for developmental approach with community partnerships  A foundation for the next level (Issues to Impact) work

18 All-Group Activity  To capture important descriptors of our current partnerships  To describe actions that are needed to develop / advance partnerships  To strategize as programs

19 Optimal Partnerships  Describe (with adjectives) your ideal / optimal community partnerships

20 Evolving Partnerships  Describe (with verbs) the actions and processes that help take partnerships to next level

21 Where are your CPs?  Starting  Emerging  Mature  High functioning

22 Rhodes College  Motivating factors  Helpful actions  Biggest challenges  Insights

23 Rhodes College  In the words of a students...

24 BRIDGES—College Corps  88 year history and 22 years of developing youth leadership in Memphis  3 paths of community-based learning & action— College Corps-Connect, College Corps-Collaborate and College Corps-Change  Desire to create a program with measurable impact  Engaging a team of Bonner Scholars and other volunteers

25 Rhodes College  In the words of a partner...

26 Rhodes College  In the words of a students...

27 Our Development Dream It! Do it... Describe it Deepen it

28 Goals by SLI 2011  To articulate a developmental progression (model) for community partnerships  To identify, find, and/or create resources that support programs to carry out actions that take partnerships to next levels  To identify and pilot strategies for impact assessment (even with a few partnerships)