Washington
Community Colleges
&
the Land-Grant University
A History of Partnership
1
Partnership for Rural Improvement
•Established in 1976 with support from the W.K.
Kellogg Foundation
•PRI is a consortium of educational institutions
PRI mission…..A catalyst for community
improvement in Washington State
2
PRI Goals

Help communities and organizations solve
local problems

Link citizens to higher education & public
resources

Assist higher education & public agencies
provide community & rural development
services
3
PRI Projects & Activities


Community Development
Increase community resource development with an emphasis on group
planning skills and linkages to external assistance.
Civic Leadership Development
Civic education as it relates to self-governance and local leadership

Organizational Development
Teaching or modeling process skills while enabling groups to accomplish
their goals and helping non-profit groups increase their effectiveness.

New Partnerships
E.g., Learning Centers, WWCC/Port/SBDC/PRI position
4
PRI Example Projects

Thousands of rural leaders and non-profit board
members from 28 of Washington’s 45 counties
have received customized training from PRI:
 Grays Harbor Leadership Advancement; PRI
Statewide Non-Profit Institute; Eastern
Washington Community Development
Institute; Central Washington Advanced
Facilitator Training; Rural Leadership Program
5
More PRI Projects

Millions of dollars have been invested in
rural projects due in part to facilitation &
grants developed through PRI assistance

Eastern Washington Regional Center for the Deaf
and Hearing-Impaired; Ione Community
Center/Library/ Pacific County Community and
Learning Center; Crewport water system;
Springdale water system;
6
Even more PRI Projects

Public policy forums sponsored by PRI
have contributed to social change

Lake Roosevelt Forum; Rural Telecommunications
Conferences; Rural Crime Forum; in all 17
community futuring forums
7
PRI Activities

PRI spawns new community college and
land-grant partnerships

Port/SBDC/PRI(WWCC&WSU) position
WSU Learning Centers located on Community
College campuses

8
WSU/CC Learning
Centers
Increasing Access for Place
and Time Bound Adults
9
Learning Center
Educational
Programs
 BA
& MA programs (2+2 approach)
 Continuing Education
10
11
PRI Staffing $ Budget
Staffing….shared position hired by the
Community College
- ongoing MOU
- joint annual review
Budget…. Roughly 50% each
- approximately $75,000 per CC/WSU partnership
12
PRI Governance
Current
Regional Coordinating Committee (Board
of directors) consisting of CC and WSU
Past
 Local advisory boards
 RCC drawn from advisory boards, CC, WSU
and state community development agency
13
PRI: Challenges
The Community College &
Land-grant perspectives
14
Community College Perspective
Economic pressures
 Traditions
 Public Outreach Mission
 Rural Mission
 Leadership Training

15
Land-grant Perspective
Budget pressures
 Traditions of agriculture programs &
tenure
 Leadership changes

16
Why PRI has survived?
Again…. The two perspectives
17
PRI Survival within CC’S




Helped CCS system respond to needs of
our rural communities
Unique design and implementation that
allowed for flexibility of services over the
years – always meeting needs, whatever
they are
Partnering to meet the many needs helps
both organizations be successful
Fun! Out of the Box! Attracts innovative
18
people who stay because it’s fun.
PRI Survival within WSU





Champions in Administration
Within the Land-grant mission
Cost-effective &“quick response” staffing
approach
Ditto on the value of Partnering
Ditto on Fun & attracting innovative people
19
“Partnering is, at best, a difficult relationship
and between higher education bureaucracies, it can be almost impossible.
(Through the learning centers)…..students
received two years of instruction from the
community colleges and two from
Washington State University in a true
partnership, one that springs from the desire
to do something together that could not
otherwise be done alone…”
Ronald H. Lafayette, President
North Seattle Community College
Questions
21
Staffing
 Faculty
lead
 Program coordinator
 Technology & Clerical services
22
Staff Roles
Program Coordinators
Ms/Mr WSU
 Community Catalyst
Community College liaison
 Student Services &
Recruitment


23
Delivery Approach
High Tech
 Asynchronous (on-line & video-tape)
 ITV classrooms & video over IP
 Satellite (analog & digital)
High Touch
 Staff on site
24
What Have We Learned?
 Partner
w/ CCs & 4-yr institutions
 People
want degrees, not courses
 Importance
of high-touch with
high-tech
25
Extended Degree Programs:
The Challenges

Articulation

Campus to campus transfers
Seamless transfer for distance education students

Joint program development, 2+2 Degrees


Student Support & Library Services

Technology
26
Challenges
Right degree to the right place
 Challenges of partnerships
 Declining budgets & increasing # of
on campus students
 Maintaining Depart Commitment
 Articulation (campus to campus transfers,

seamless transfer for DDP students, joint
program of 2+2 Degrees)
27
Two long-term partnerships
Partnership for Rural Improvement:
a 25+ year collaboration for
community development
WSU/CCs Learning Centers:
a six year partnership for degree
completion via technology
28