Getting Engaged—
CUMU Engagement Academy
Higher Education Creating an Impact:
The Importance of Engagement as an
Institutional Strategy
Oct. 9-11, 2015
Omaha, Nebraska
Academy Goals
Provide a professional development forum for those leading
the strategic direction of higher education engagement with
a focus on institutional strategies
• Discuss concepts, tools, and best practices for leading
engagement
• Have space and time for reflection, coaching, and scholarship
• Develop action plans that can be tested and shared
• Establish a network of leaders to continue discussion about and
advance the institutionalization of engagement
• Intentional Interlude
• Mentored Planning
EA …
on the road
You are joining a network of 500
institutional leaders…and growing
Picture/Metaphor for
Leading Engagement
Think about/gravitate to an image that
speaks to you and characterizes the work
of leading engagement in your institution.
Engaging the Leaders
• At your table introduce yourself
–
–
–
–
Name, position, institution
Explain your picture
What do I have to share?
What do I want to know?
• Share you/your team’s pre-work priority
goals for enhancing your institution’s
engagement agenda. What are the key
leadership challenges?
Features
• Tables/Teams
– Who, How Clustered, Meeting/Work Spaces,
Meeting Times
– Action Plan Template
– Critical Friends Feedback (Sun. AM)
– Your Monday Morning Pitch (Sun. AM)
• Mentored Planning
– Coaching - (faculty); Peer - (table topics)
Action Planning
Friday: Purpose
What is the main purpose or objective of my Action Plan – What do I/we
seek to accomplish as a Leader of Engagement when I/we return to our
unit? Why is this important to my unit/institution now? What does it build
on or support (other strategic objectives)? That is, how will an action plan
on this particular focus fit with or inform broader efforts to advance
community engagement on my campus? Who will be key allies? Are
there policies or planning issues that must be addressed? What individual
and institutional capacities do we have, what capacity building is needed,
how might that development occur?
Saturday: …
Sunday: Present your Action Plan
Monday: …
“Critical Friends” Exercise
Action Plan Consultation and Critique
Time: 20 minutes per case presented on Sunday AM
A formalized way to get feedback on a work in progress.
Introduction Facilitator briefly introduces the presenter(s) and reminds the listening team to give only the kind
of feedback the presenter(s) requests.
Proposal Presentation (8 minutes) The listening members reads or hears about the presenter’s proposal.
The presenter(s) may ask for specific feedback (framed feedback) or may leave it open (unframed
feedback).
Clarifying Questions The listening members may ask clarifying questions, but no discussion is allowed.
Feedback (10 minutes) The listening members provide feedback to the presenter(s). Feedback is directly
related to the kinds of feedback the presenter(s) wanted.
Reflection (2 minutes) The presenter(s) responds to the feedback given by the listening team. Responses
should be about changes that might be made, new insights, and clarifications.
Allen, D., Blythe, T., & Powell, B. (1999). A Guide to Looking Collaboratively at Student Work.
CUMU EA Participant Profile
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Title
CUMU EA Participants:
Engagement as Primary Activity
45
39
40
35
30
Community
Engagement
Other Areas
25
20
15
11
10
5
0
Participants
CUMU EA Participants by
Position Type
1
10
40
Admin/Staff
Faculty/Instructor
5
CA, San Marcos
3
Indiana, Northwest
1 1
Memorial
5
Metropolitan State
2
Drexel
Northern Kentucky
4
Towson
3
U of La Verne
TX Woman’s
2
MO - St. Louis
UNO
1
WI, Green Bay
4
NC, Wilmington
Wagner College
Weber State
TN, Chattanooga
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Worcester State
CUMU EA Participation by
Institution
Attendees
5
4 4
3
2
1
Top Institutional Goals/Issues to
Advancing Engagement
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
CA State University – San Marcos
Drexel University
Indiana University Northwest
Memorial University
Metropolitan State University
TX Woman’s University
Towson University
University of La Verne
University of MO – St. Louis
University of NE – Omaha
U of NC – Wilmington
U of TN – Chattanooga
U of WI – Green Bay
Wagner College
Weber State University
Worcester State University
• Alignment with institutional goals to
increase student success – access,
graduation and retention rates,
enrollment increases, and job
attainment.
• Attract, develop, and retain a diverse
faculty, staff and student body;
promote diversity and a global
perspective on issues
• Improve branding, marketing, and
promotion to improve infrastructure,
partnerships, and growth.
Participants’ Top Issues
• Education – Access &
Readiness
• Poverty
• Equity and Diversity
• Economic Development
• Community Relationships
• Marketing & Promotion of
CES
• Environmental Issues
• Infrastructure
• Safety
Leading Engagement:
The Academy Framework
Been there?
• Professional development “is dominated by
the informational update.
• In what is typically an intensive 2 or 3 day
short course, a single instructor lectures and
lectures and lectures
• fairly large groups of professional people,
who sit for long hours in an AV twilight,
• making never-to-be-read notes at rows of
narrow tables covered with green baize &
appointed with fat binders and sweating
pitchers of ice water.”
P. Nowlen
Engagement Leadership
Experience…
• Curriculum
• Resources
• Schedule
Community Engagement
“collaboration between institutions of
higher education and larger communities
(local, regional/state, national, global) for
mutually beneficial exchange of
knowledge and resources in context of
partnership and reciprocity”
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
http://nerche.org/
“The purpose of community engagement
is the partnership of college and university
knowledge and resources with those of
the public and private sectors to enrich
scholarship, research, and creative
activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and
learning; prepare educated, engaged
citizens; strengthen democratic values
and civic responsibility; address critical
societal issues; and contribute to the
public good.”
Leading Resource
Leading
Development
Strategic
Operations
Leading
Strategic
Operations and
Implementation
Leading
Resource
Development
Leading
CommunityUniversity
Partnerships
Reading the
Context
Reading the
Context
Institutional
Institutional
Capacity
for
Capacity for
Engagement
Engagement
Leading
Organizational
ChangeLeading
Organizational
Change
Leading
Leading
Engagement
Strategic
Alignment
Learning Strategies
• Content delivered in Interactive Sessions
• Action Plan
• PM AP Work; AM Check-In Reflections/Reporting
• Resources
• Approach that is Developmental & Adaptable
Resources
• Faculty
• Executive-in-Residence
• Peers
Logistics
• Internet Access
• Dining Options
• AP Hard copy/Word
• Other?
• Printing AP
Saturday/Sunday