American Mathematical Society Workshop for Department Chairs and Department Leaders San Diego, CA January 9, 2017

Outreach and Communication: Building Effective External Partnerships Douglas Mupasiri Department of Mathematics University of Northern Iowa

Overview of Session What do we mean by outreach? Why should a department engage in outreach? Potential outreach activities Implementing outreach activities Communication about outreach with external stakeholders

Definition of Outreach Individual Task #1 (5 minutes) What do you understand “outreach” to mean? What might “outreach” mean to a mathematics department chair? Reports from select individuals Comments/Discussion – all participants Take 5 minutes to consider these questions and write down your answers. 1. The extending of services or assistance beyond current or usual limits – Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2. An effort to bring services or information to people where they live or spend time – Cambridge Dictionary

Why is External Outreach Important? Group Task # 2 (5 minutes) Consider the question above in groups Select one person to record the answers from your group Report your answers to the rest of the participants Comments/Discussion – all participants? We all complain about inadequately prepared students in our calculus classes and blame K-12 instruction and curricula – I have met the enemy and he is us – John B. Conway in Reflections of a Department Head on Outreach Mathematics, Notices of the AMS, Vol. 48, No 10 (2001), http://www.ams.org/notices/200110/comm-conway.pdf (a variation on Walt Kelly’s famous quip, “We have met the enemy and he is us” in the poster he made to promote Earth Day on April 22, 1970) Outreach as marketing for mathematics – the role of mathematics in everyday life, though ubiquitous, is little appreciated by large segments of the public (students and teachers included) and policy makers. Outreach to promote math as a living discipline with relevance to everyday life. Outreach for recruitment purposes – setting up pipelines into STEM Outreach to discover and invite new talent into mathematics Outreach to democratize access to mathematics – to serve social justice ends http://www.ams.org/publications/journals/notices/201609/rnoti-p1042.pdf 7. Outreach tied to civic engagement – first proposed by Boyer as scholarship of application (1990) and then as scholarship of engagement (1996), then expanded by the Kellogg Commission to include teaching, research and service (1999; 2000). 8. Outreach as an extension of department programs – Advisory Councils. 9. Outreach for development purposes – fundraising.

Current State of Outreach Activities of Your Department Group Task #3 (5 minutes) What sorts of outreach does your department currently do? Is outreach, to the extent it is done in your department, organized, sustained, and intentional or accidental Who does the outreach and why? Report your results to the rest of the participants. Comments/Discussion – all participants

Further Reflections on Current State of Outreach: Advice for Others Group task #4 (10 minutes) Has your department ever discussed outreach in a department meeting? How did the discussion come about? What was the outcome of the discussion? What advice would you give those considering having such a discussion? Group Reports Comments/Discussion – all participants

Recap of First Segment We have defined what we mean by outreach. We have discussed why external outreach is important We have shared what some of our departments are doing on outreach We have touched on whether outreach has been discussed in the department Before we proceed to the second part of the session, any comments/discussion about the first part?

Models of Outreach Group Task # 4 (10 Minutes) What models of outreach are you aware of? Do any of these models interest you in the sense that they might have a good chance of working in your department? Group reports Comments/Discussion – all participants Outreach mathematician model. Math Circles, math competitions, summer programs, visits to (K-12) schools Professional Development for teachers. Math fairs in the schools. Development – fund raising model – work with your university development officers to avoid conflict Advisory boards Industry open Houses – networking and generating internships

Potential Outreach Activities Group Activity #5 (10 minutes) What outreach activities would make sense for your department? Who would implement these activities and who would be the intended targets/partners? What incentives would you offer faculty to do outreach? How would you ensure these activities are sustainable? What potential challenges do you foresee? Group reports Comments/Discussion - all participants Promotion/enhancement of the teaching and learning of mathematics outside the department in particular in K-12 schools and community colleges – “Revisiting an Outreach Mathematician”, Jerry Dwyer and Lawrence Schovanec, Notices of the AMS, Vol. 60, No. 7 Organizing locally and regionally funded outreach activities, e.g., K-12 school visits and summer programs. Serving on National Committees and participating on panels at national meetings. Challenge – Interacting with faculty and others on campus interested in outreach – Negotiating your part if your university has an Outreach and Engagement Initiative. Challenge – modifying the reward structure to incentivize faculty participation

Implementing Outreach: Can a Department Chair be the Change Agent on Outreach? Group Task # 6 (15 minutes) Consider the outreach activity assigned to your table (outreach for recruitment, outreach for development, outreach for community engagement, outreach via outreach mathematician, outreach to local businesses) Develop an implementation plan for your assigned outreach activity What are potential challenges to implementing the outreach activity? Who should be consulted? How will you assess the effectiveness of the plan? Group reports Comments/Discussion – all participants Develop a plan – decide who will lead the effort, who is the target, who are potential internal and external partners? Will you need approvals/permissions from the dean, provost and/or supervisors of external partners. Will effort require resources, from whom/where – internal and/or external funding? Developing relationships of trust with partners Assessment of activities

Communication Group Task # 3 (15 minutes) Consider the outreach activity assigned to your table (outreach for recruitment, outreach for development, outreach for community engagement, outreach via outreach mathematician, outreach to local businesses) Develop a communication plan for your assigned outreach activity How would you implement the communication plan? How would you assess the effectiveness of the plan? What potential communication challenges might you face? Group reports Comments/Discussion - all participants Choosing appropriate and effective channels or modes of communication: in-person meetings, phone calls, conference calls, emails, newsletters Developing a communication plan for building and strengthening relationships with (potential) partners. Challenge – sustaining communication and making adjustment when needed.

References Cavalieri, R., & Hartenstine, D. (2005). Math Circle, an outreach program at the University of Utah. FOCUS, 25(1), 6-8. http://www.math.colostate.edu/~renzo/focusmc.pdf Conway, J. B. (2001, November). Reflections of a department head on outreach mathematics. Notices of the AMS, 48(10), 1169-1172. http://www.ams.org.proxy.lib.uni.edu/notices/200110/comm-conway.pdf Dwyer, J. F. (2001, November). Reflections of an outreach mathematician. Notices of the AMS, 48(10), 1173-1175. http://www.ams.org.proxy.lib.uni.edu/notices/200110/comm-dwyer.pdf Dwyer, J. & Shovanec, L. (2013, August). Revisiting an outreach mathematician. Notices of the AMS, 60(7), 924-926. http://www.ams.org/notices/201307/rnoti-p924.pdf Fowler, K. (2015, August 1). Start small, think big: Making a difference through K-12 mathematics outreach. AMS Blogs. https://blogs.ams.org/matheducation/2015/08/01/start-small-think-big-making-a-difference-through-k-12-mathematics-outreach/ Haunsperger, D. (2015, August 5). Section officers discussions on outreach. https://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/doc/sections/SectionResources/Section%20Officers%20On%20Outreach%20MF2015.pdf

More References Megginson, R. (1999). A Model for Outreach to Groups Underrepresented in Science and Mathematics. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 4(2), 7-13. http://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/index.php/jheoe/article/download/348/324 Rose, L. P. (2001). Re-Affirming Outreach: A University/High School Partnership Program. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 4(2),1-11. http://journals.sagepub.com.proxy.lib.uni.edu/doi/abs/10.1177/155545890100400204 Turner, P. R., Fowler, K., Wick, D., Ramsdell, M., Gotham, G., Glasgow, E., & French, C. (2007). BOCES-University Partnership as a model for Educational Outreach: K-16 STEM Professional Development. In Math and Science Symposium. http://www.riveruniversity.com/highschool/k12/pdf/Peter-BOCESpaper.pdf White, D., & Pantano. (2016, October). Joining forces in international mathematics outreach efforts. Notices of the AMS, 63(9), 1042-1049. http://www.ams.org/publications/journals/notices/201609/rnoti-p1042.pdf McLean, S., Thompson, G., Jonker, P.. The Rising Tide of Outreach and Engagement in State and Land-Grant Universities in the United States: What are the Implications for University Continuing Education Units in Canada? Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Spring 2006) pp 83-108

Thank You! Questions?