“What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children”. John Dewey 2007

ELON Academy Staff  Deborah Long, Director  Richard Mihans, Assistant Director of Academic Programs  Darris Means, Assistant Director of Student Life and Leadership Development  Kim Johnson, Assistant Director of College Planning  Laura Beitman, Program Assistant

Campus-Community Partnerships  Problem domain The community is not the domain of the problem The University is not the domain of the solution “We are part of the same community, with common problems, common interests, common resources, and a common capacity to shape one another in profound ways”

Types of partnerships?  Transactional  Transformative  Transactional/Transformative

Types of partnerships?  Transactional Relationships Are beneficial to both the University and the community partner Work within existing structures Do not (and not expected to) result in substantive change for either party Are generally short-term

Types of partnerships?  Transformative Relationships Proceed with less definition Are open to unanticipated developments Require a deeper and more sustained commitment Are dynamic, joint creations in which both the campus and the community are changed in substantive ways

Existing partnerships  Kernodle Center for Service Learning  Office of School Outreach Programs  Academic Service Learning Courses  Grants  Partnership with Cummings High School  ELON Academy

The Elon Academy A Step Toward a Transformational Partnership

Mission The mission of the ELON Academy is to inspire academically oriented students, who are often underrepresented on college and university campuses, to pursue higher education, build leadership skills, and develop an active sense of social responsibility.

Program Information  Duration: Three years  Type: Year-round Three consecutive four-week summer residential experiences Year-round tutors and writing coaches Family programs throughout  Size: students (rising 10th graders, with a new cohort added each year for a total of approximately 75 rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders)

Selection Criteria  Rising 10 th grader (We recruit in the 9 th grade.)  Student in Alamance-Burlington Schools  Financial need and/or no family history of college  Demonstration of academic promise  No pattern of disciplinary problems  Desire to succeed  Need for support

The Elon Academy  Interim step between current transactional relationships future transformational relationships  A stone in the bridge that will carry us forward to the next stage in our relationship with our community.  Potential to be transformative for both Elon and the community.

Transformation  Individual  Institutional  National State and Local Policy  School System  Family and Community Change

Individual Transformation  Elon Scholars: determination/motivation for college entry competence in all academic and social areas belief that a college education is a “birth right” (no matter what the challenges may be)  Elon Faculty/Staff: sense that contributing to the community is vital sensitivity to student needs (academic and emotional) collaboration and integration with public school community

Institutional Transformation  Rethinking our relationship with the community The Elon “Bubble”  “Of” the community not “In” the community  Time limit for students (4 years)  Counteracting deficit thinking  Increasing communication/collaboration among constituencies  Redistributing and sharing of resources  Examining faculty/staff reward systems  Adjusting our mission

National, State, Local Policy  The Impact of the Elon Academy Local Government Chamber of Commerce State of North Carolina National Level

School System  Sharing of the curriculum  Implications for academic course offerings and advising at the high school setting  Creation of other college access programs  Sustained partnership with Elon University

Family and Community Change  The Elon Academy Family Network  Community Agencies  Religious Organizations

The transformation begins... DVD

Meet Elon Academy Scholars and Staff DarianSarah John McCutcheon Concert and Ice Cream Social tonight

Important Issues in Campus – Community Partnerships  Administrative Support  Funding  Adequate Staff  Mission Alignment  Questions?