Making the Case for Reciprocal Partnerships in Service Learning and Community Engagement Kelly Ward Washington State University Tami Moore Oklahoma State University

Objectives for the morning… Bring ideas for service learning and community engagement close to home Provide opportunities for problem-based learning based on things common to your campuses and unique to your area/place Make service learning more central to related campus initiatives Explore case studies Create community Have fun!

Maintaining focus on service learning and community engagement Making service learning and community engagement connected and relevant Tendency to recycle ideas and not advance community engagement agendas Tying service learning to core issues on campus Developing evidence based arguments

Types of Community Engagement Co-curricular service (volunteerism)— projects in the community Curricular experiences (service learning, internships)—tied to courses; reflection Engaged research—connecting faculty expertise with community needs Institutional engagement—using campus resources to meet community needs

Service learning as reflection of community engagement Community engagement is the core principle that can be enacted in many ways Via the classroom (service learning), research, volunteerism, public service, extension Focus on service learning, but many of the same principles apply for community engagement in other realms as well Service learning ties to curriculum, faculty and provides opportunity for fundamental change

Connecting engagement with larger campus initiatives…..

What keeps your president up at night? Access Accountability Diversity Workforce preparation MONEY! Funding! BUDGETS! Retention Learning outcomes Student success Others?

Access The issue… Broadening participation in higher education (students) Maintaining a connection with the public who support higher education (making higher education understandable and accessible) Tying to SL… Takes higher education off campus Exposes multiple audiences to higher education Shows prospective students/community what higher education entails

Access: Making the connection How to make the connection… EVIDENCE-BASED decision making Providing evidence from pre-existing studies (HERI, Campus Compact data) Collecting data ◦ Look for what you have Place students in service learning placements that have access implications (e.g., schools, tutoring, mentoring programs) Focus on outcomes to provide evidence

Development/Fundraising The issue… Increased costs/decreased income (state, endowments) Tying to service learning… Show connection to mission Focus on community/constituent needs Making the connection… Evidence Involving community members

Retention What is the issue at hand? How tie to service learning? What need to make the connection?

Common themes Making the connections Providing evidence Thinking broadly Making clear what it is that higher education does in the community

Steps to take Identify the issue Brainstorm connection to community engagement Provide evidence Collect evidence Do good work Tell the story

What is the role of higher education in your community? What is the role of higher education in your community? Oklahoma Leadership Roundtable  Leaders from business sector  Senior administrators from area colleges and universities  National “experts” ◦ Facilitated conversation ◦ Focused on relating national trends to local context ◦ Open to campus community

Why ask about the role of your institution in the community? ◦ Turned on the Spotlight  mutual interests  opportunities to strengthen positive outcomes ◦ Lessons from the Roundtable  Networking  Needs on-going commitment to relationship-building  Make expanding the conversation a priority  Education  Highlight opportunities/challenges for administrators

Starting a conversation… ◦ Identify community issues ◦ Identify campus issues ◦ Identify issues of common interest WHO SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE CONVERSATION?

Exploring cases Identifying strategies to link service learning with other campus/community initiatives Collective wisdom Be prepared to report out:  Describe the case  Respond to case questions/prompts  Ideas for moving forward