University of South Florida
An Engaged University
A survey to obtain information to support
USF’s participation in the pilot project conducted by
the Carnegie Foundation related to Community Engagement
July 2006
OFFICE/CENTER ENGAGEMENT SURVEY
USF was selected to participate in a documentation pilot project to qualify for
recognition by Carnegie as an “engaged” university. This recognition will be very
valuable to USF, its faculty and students. Each campus, college, and selected
departments/offices are invited to provide documentation for this project.
The purpose of our effort is to assemble the requisite information concerning
USF’s engagement in community-based instruction, outreach, and applied
research projects.
Thank you for agreeing to help with this very important project.
Directions
Please complete this survey for your OFFICE OR CENTER. Responses should
represent your OFFICE OR CENTER only, not the entire university.
E-mail the completed survey to this address before August 1, 2006. Please
send to: engage@acad.usf.edu
Please send any hard copy exhibits to:
Planning & Analysis
Office of Decision Support
NEC 117
Office/Center Engagement Survey, ODS, ver 3
1
OFFICE OR CENTER Name: Humanities
Institute___________________________
Survey respondents: (Please list the names of those persons who prepared
this survey response.)
William H. Scheuerle; Robin Bajkiewicz
__________________________________________________
Part I - Identity and Culture
Please respond to each item. Use relevant quotes and descriptions to document
your responses these items. Please include web links to related documents.
A. OFFICE OR CENTER Identity and Culture
1. Does the OFFICE OR CENTER indicate that community engagement is a
priority in its mission statement (or vision)?
_X__ Yes
___ No
Quote the mission (vision) – include links if appropriate
“The Institute will create a forum in which students, faculty, and members of
the greater community can learn from and work with renowned scholars and
contemporary thinkers who will encourage us to re-examine, re-evaluate,
reform, or reaffirm our most basic assumptions about ourselves and our
world….We believe that the community looks to the University to create and
advance knowledge. The Humanities Institute will provide a valuable forum in
which we can all ask the questions that will enable us to appreciate the past,
accurately assess the present, and work toward a better future.”
See the website: www.cas.usf.edu/humanitiesInstitute/index.htm
2. Does the OFFICE OR CENTER formally recognize community
engagement accomplishments through awards and celebrations?
__X_ Yes
___ No
Describe and include links if appropriate
In 2006, the Institute inaugurated a “Distinguished Humanities Graduate
Award.” This award was given to a USF humanities graduate who has
OFFICE OR DEPARTMENT Level Engagement Survey, ODS, ver 3
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received distinction in her/his career. A formal ceremony was held at which
the recipient delivered an address and received recognition.
Does the OFFICE OR CENTER have a system for assessing community
perceptions about the effectiveness of the OFFICE OR CENTER’s
engagement with community?
___Yes
__x_ No
The Institute is presently relying upon unsolicited letters and comments,
attendance figures at events, and financial donations. At certain events,
evaluation forms are distributed
Describe the system and include links if appropriate
Does the OFFICE OR CENTER use the assessment data?
___ Yes ___ No
Describe how the data is used
The Institute uses the above information for future planning
3. Is community engagement emphasized in the marketing materials
(website, brochures, etc.) of the OFFICE OR CENTER?
__X_ Yes
___ No
Describe the materials
Brochures available at all events
Newsletters to community
Letters sent to donors
Newsletter advertisements
B. Department Commitment
1. Does the OFFICE OR CENTER have a coordinating infrastructure
(center, office, etc.) to support and advance community engagement?
__X_ Yes
___ No
Describe with purposes, staffing
OFFICE OR DEPARTMENT Level Engagement Survey, ODS, ver 3
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All planned events consider the interests of the students, faculty, and the
general community. At the present time, the staffing consists of two people.
Staffing will increase for 2006-2007.
2. Are there internal budgetary allocations dedicated to supporting
OFFICE OR CENTER engagement with community?
__X_ Yes
___ No
Describe (% or $ amount)
The College of Arts and Sciences covers the expenses/salaries for office
and staff, approximately $100,000.00 per year. The Research Office of the
University has for the past several years matched the annual funds raised
through private donations.
Is there external funding dedicated to supporting OFFICE OR CENTER
engagement with community?
__X_ Yes
___ No
Describe specific funding
The Institute has received external grants from state and local granting
agencies for community centered events, e.g. the Florida Council for the
Humanities and the Art Council of Hillsborough County. The majority of the
events sponsored by the Institute, however, are financed by public donations
(private community funds). Several events have also received competitive grants
from the student organization and other university departments/centers.
Is there OFFICE OR CENTER level fundraising directed to community
engagement?
__X_ Yes
___ No
Describe fundraising activities
As stated above, most of the events are funded by private donations
solicited by the USF Foundation, the College of Arts and Sciences Development
Office, and/or the Humanities Institute. These solicitations are to the general
community and faculty/staff.
3. Are there systematic OFFICE OR CENTER -wide assessment or
recording mechanisms to evaluate and/or track engagement in
community?
___ Yes
___ No
To some extent
Describe
Attendance figures are kept, and donation records track the list of
donors to the Institute
OFFICE OR DEPARTMENT Level Engagement Survey, ODS, ver 3
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Does the OFFICE OR CENTER use the data from any of the tracking
mechanisms?
_X__ Yes
___ No
Describe
Attendance figures, for example, are used to plan future events.
3. Does the OFFICE OR CENTER provide professional development
support for faculty and/or staff who engage with community?
__X_ Yes
___ No
Describe
Since its inception in 2003, the Institute has awarded to faculty in the
humanities, competitive summer research grants. For the summers of
2005 and 2006, for example, grants of $5000.00 each were awarded.
Many of those grants involved faculty researching topics relevant to the
Tampa Bay area and/or state of Florida
4. Does community have a “voice” or role in OFFICE OR CENTER planning
for community engagement?
__X_ Yes
___ No
Describe
For certain types of events, the Institute solicits topic ideas from the
community participants. This solicitation is especially relevant to the
“Great Books” series. Both of the topics for the Fall 2006 series were
suggested by the community.
Part II - Outreach and Partnerships
Outreach and Partnerships focuses the application and provision of institutional
resources for community use with benefits to both OFFICE OR CENTER and
community.
1. Indicate which programs are developed for community:
___X_ learning centers
____ tutoring
____ non-credit courses
____ evaluation support
____ training programs
____ professional development centers
___X_ other
Examples
“”
“ All of the programs are open
“ to the community
“
“
“
2. Which institutional resources are shared with community?
OFFICE OR DEPARTMENT Level Engagement Survey, ODS, ver 3
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____ co-curricular student service
__X_cultural offerings
____ athletic offerings
____ library services
____ technology
____ faculty consultation
Examples
“ All of the programs are
“
open to the community
“
“
During the academic year 2005-2006, approximately 2,600 people attended
the cultural offerings sponsored by the Humanities Institute. In addition,
approximately 4000 people attended the Archbishop Desmond Tutu event
on January 19, 2006
For a listing of all events sponsored by the Humanities Institute since
Fall 2003, see Website cited above.
OFFICE OR DEPARTMENT Level Engagement Survey, ODS, ver 3
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Using the grid below, describe representative OFFICE OR CENTER partnerships that were in place during the most
recent academic year. (maximum 5 partnerships)
Partnership
Name
1.One community/
One book
Community Institutional
Partner
Partner
Public
Humanities
Library of
Institute
Hillsborough
County
2.Symposium of
Public Art
Cultural
Affairs, City
of Tampa;
Cultural
Affairs, Hills.
Co.; Patel
Center for
the
Performing
Arts
Humanities
Institute and
the College
of Visual
and
Performing
Art
Office/Center Engagement Survey, ODS, ver 3
Purpose
To stress
reading,
Books
A day-long
panel
discussion
on public
art with
artists and
scholars.
Q&A for
public
Length of
# 0f
Partnership
Faculty
Three
All faculty
years
invited to
any of the
many
lectures and
discussions.
Most events
were at
public
libraries.
Only one
held on
campus
A semester 4 scholars
participated
# 0f
Students
All students
invited to
the many
lectures
and
discussions
Grant
Funding
Various
agencies,
Including
the
Humanities
Institute
Institution
Impact
Able to
bring a
novelist
per year to
campus; to
assist the
public
library
system
At least 30
students
were in the
audience.
City of
A major
Tampa;
event for
Hills. Co.,
the arts
Arts Council
of Hills. Co.
Fla. Council
Humanities;
Hum. Inst.;
College of
Visual and
Performing
Arts
7
Commu
Impac
Hundred
of peopl
attended
the lectu
and
discussi
Over 15
people
attended
these w
mainly
commun
people
3.Sci-Fi
Symposium
4.Peace through
Many public
Diversity lecture: Arch- companies,
bishop Desmond Tutu businesses,
and
individuals
USF Library
Humanities
Institute
To
Two years
emphasis
Sci-Fi and
to increase
the
donations
to the
Special
Collections
Department
Humanities Emphasize One
Institute,
the theme
semester
academic
“Peace
departments Through
Patel
Diversity”
Center,
Univ.
Lecture
series,
USF
Foundation,
etc.
OFFICE OR DEPARTMENT Level Engagement Survey, ODS, ver 3
?
Approx. 30
none
Increased Free
donations cultural
of papers, event
etc. to
Special
Collections
Over 4000
people in
attendance
[see
previous
comment]
Private/univ. A major
funding
cultural
event for
USF
8
Major
event
for
commun
and
universi
4. Does the OFFICE OR CENTER work to promote the mutuality and
reciprocity of the partnerships?
__X_ Yes
___ No
Describe
The Institute is in the planning stage for a second Arts symposium
b. Are there mechanisms to systematically provide feedback and assessment
to community partners?
__X_ Yes
___ No
Describe
Written (and verbal) evaluations were submitted after the Art symposium
and conveyed to the partners. Likewise, the Public library initiated the
evaluations for the “One Community/One Book.”
5. Within in the past calendar year (2005), are there examples of faculty or staff
engagement activities through applied research, grants, contracts, conference
presentations, journal publications, etc?
Please list significant engagement examples.
Since its inception, the Humanities Institute has awarded a total 28 grants for
approximately $100,000.00 for research in the Humanities. Many of these
scholars have shared the results of their research in speaking engagements
at national, regional, and local conferences and have recorded their research
in journal publications and books. In that same period of time, twenty-six USF
faculty, for example, have participated in events sponsored by the Humanities
Institute that emphasized their research in the humanities
Faculty who receive research grants through the Institute are required to submit
reports and to be available to present their research through talks entitled
“Research in the Humanities.” In 2005/6, talks included research/publications on
1. “A Biography of the Spirit: Zora Neale Hurston” [Articles]
2. “Sunshine in the Dark: Florida in the Movies.” [Book]
3. “The Paradox of Galicia: A Cultural Crossroads on the
Edge of Europe” [Presentations]
4. “On Being Authentic” [Book]
5. Faculty led discussions on Freud, Dante, Shakespeare, Thucydides,
Hemingway, and Emily Brontë, their research topics.
The Institute also co-sponsored two conferences within the 2005 academic year:
1. Descartes and Pascal (Philosophy Department)
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2. Mesoamerican Archaeology and Ethnohistory (Anthropology Department)
For complete listing of all of the research grants awarded by the Humanities
Institute for 2004, 2005, 2006 and presentations made, see website cited
above.
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