1. DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS WITH FACULTY AND HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

2. The following content was taken from the resource: “The Promise of Partnerships: Tapping into the College as a Community Asset” by Jim Scheibel, Erin M. Bowley, and Steven Jones. Campus Compact ISBN-13: 978-0-9729394-3-0 ISBN-10: o-9729394-3-1

3. WHY SHOULD I ESTABLISH A PARTNERSHIP WITH A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION? Reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationship The ultimate beneficiary of partnerships between community organizations and institutions of higher education is the community, including all those within it Successful partnerships can: help create jobs, build houses, improve the environment, boost literacy, and increase access to health care These are all changes that benefit the campus as much as the rest of the community, while at the same time improving students’ citizenship skills and even their academic performance. These are ways how colleges and communities can bring their assets together to make this kind of success a reality “ The Promise of Partnerships: Tapping into the College as a Community Asset” by Jim Scheibel, Erin M. Bowley, and Steven Jones. Campus Compact

4. WHAT CAN I GAIN FROM PARTNERING WITH A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY? Benefits for the community partner: Assistance with organizational training and skill building Increased pool of volunteers Access to the human and physical resources of the campus New funding opportunities Space for community opportunities Role models for collegiate youth about the prospects of attending college Assistance with program evaluation and assessment (Community organizations need to be able to prove that their funding resources are being utilized successfully, however staff members have enough of work on their plates! Having a college student can help with the manpower of the doing the assessments) Assistance with research projects Assistance with advocacy and policy related work of the organization Additional expertise and resources for community development Opportunity for organization staff to mentor the next generation of non-profit leaders Opportunity to educate college faculty and staff about community issues and to work collaboratively to fulfill those issues Help in accomplishing social mission in concrete and practical ways “The Promise of Partnerships: Tapping into the College as a Community Asset” by Jim Scheibel, Erin M. Bowley, and Steven Jones. Campus Compact

5. WHAT KINDS OF WORK CAN I DO THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP? Higher Education Institutions can offer opportunities for student “workers”, but there are also other resources they can offer as a partner: Community Engagement activities that may not involve students include:  Facility Sharing (using building, classrooms, laboratories, auditoriums for space to host events, conferences, etc.)  Sharing of individual expertise  Leading  Faculty research  Sharing of academic resources  Community development initiatives “The Promise of Partnerships: Tapping into the College as a Community Asset” by Jim Scheibel, Erin M. Bowley, and Steven Jones. Campus Compact

6. FACULTY/STAFF RESOURCES:  Advising: Faculty or staff members with expertise in certain areas (for example, fundraising, demographic studies, environmental challenges, youth development) may be able to serve as consultants for organizations.  Speaking: Faculty or staff members can serve as keynote speakers, panelists, or trainers on a range of subjects.  Teaching: Faculty may be willing to give certain groups a “mini-course” on their area of expertise.  Leading: Faculty and staff can serve on boards of directors or advisory groups with non-profit and government agencies. “The Promise of Partnerships: Tapping into the College as a Community Asset”, by Jim Scheibel, Erin M. Bowley, and Steven Jones. Campus Compact

7. Why is the College or University interested in working with you You should always feel comfortable asking how your organization fits into the college or university’s plans. Here are some specific questions that you can ask: 1)Why did you choose to contact my organization? 2)What motivated you to form a community partnership (or seek a community experience)? 3)What do you hope to get out of this relationship, experience, or partnership? 4)If you look back at the end of the semester/year, what do you hope to have accomplished by partnering with my organization? 5)Are there specific requirements, projects, paperwork etc… that you need to complete during the time that we work together? Financial costs to the organization may include the following: -Time and materials needed to train, supervise, and evaluate students or participate in research -Time spent in planning and coordinating partnership activities -Material costs- for example, space and resources dedicated to partnership activities (In most cases, the financial gain outweighs the financial costs of partnerships, but it is important to anticipate costs as part of the planning process! Be sure to assess the partnership itself and consider the impact the partnership has to your organization when evaluating). “The Promise of Partnerships: Tapping into the College as a Community Asset”, by Jim Scheibel, Erin M. Bowley, and Steven Jones. Campus Compact

8. SOME THINGS TO REMEMBER! ACADEMIC CALENDAR: It’s important to note that Students and Faculty work around the ACADEMIC calendar, not the standard 12 month calendar. It’s important to plan around this and be aware that students are also taking into account exam periods, any breaks during the school year, etc.. Although it may be challenging to work around the academic calendar, it’s not impossible. The key is to know their calendar and plan ahead! You can typically find a copy of your local college’s academic calendar on their website or yearly college catalog. Tips for working around the Academic Calendar: If you will be working with faculty members, make your initial contact with them at least two or three weeks before the academic period begins. If you’re planning to work together in the Fall, it may be best to initiate contact before the Spring semester has ended. Find out from faculty, students, or Career Services Director when in-term exams and holidays are, and not plan to have students at your site at that time In particular, don’t be overly reliant on student volunteers if you need extra staffing during the November-December holiday period, as students usually travel, go “home”, or have exams during that period Be prepared for requests from the college to host community service events. All institutions are different, but this could take place during Freshman Orientation (usually third or fourth week of August) “The Promise of Partnerships: Tapping into the College as a Community Asset”, by Jim Scheibel, Erin M. Bowley, and Steven Jones. Campus Compact

9. HOW DO I MAKE CONTACT WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON CAMPUS? -Identify one primary contact person! -Determine whether you should speak with a staff member, or contact a faculty member directly. If this experience is for academic credit for the student, you may need to initiate contact through the instructor. It’s not unreasonable for a faculty member to visit your organization and meet with you to clarify expectations --Research and learn about your local or regional institutions of higher education. (2 year vs. 4 year, public vs. private, research- oriented vs. faith based, etc… Knowing this can help you in planning your initial point of contact) Making Initial Contact: Who do I start with and reach out to first? -Service Learning Office -Career Services Office -Public Relations office -Residential Life -Campus Ministry -Work Study/Financial Aid (All institutions are required to spend at least 7% of resources they receive in federal work study funds on community based placements. Many institutions are looking to work with community organizations to help host students in community Federal Work Study positions. This can be a good way to start a relationship with a college or university, since it is helping the institution meet a federal requirement!) -AmeriCorps VISTA member “The Promise of Partnerships: Tapping into the College as a Community Asset”, by Jim Scheibel, Erin M. Bowley, and Steven Jones. Campus Compact

10. HOW SHOULD I START PLANNING THE RELATIONSHIP? Before any type of partnership activity begins, it is important to establish a planning process to manage key elements of the partnership. (This should all be done prior to starting the partnership)  Communication  Funding  Marketing/Public Relations  Evaluation & Celebration of work (even these should be planned up front)  Design the program to meet the needs of both sides, so that everyone benefits. Community organizations need to be aware of students’ different academic needs and be aware that different classes have different requirements. One tip, design an experience that would really make a student want to come!  “Job Description”  Student’s closure at end of the experience  Orientation for the student in the first day, week, month, etc.. “The Promise of Partnerships: Tapping into the College as a Community Asset”, by Jim Scheibel, Erin M. Bowley, and Steven Jones. Campus Compact

11. BEFORE SETTTING UP A RELATIONSHIP: It’s important to make sure that potential campus partners understand your mission, goals, and expectations, as well as factors such as site location and populations served, before setting up a partnership Understand each other’s language. Lack of understanding of each other’s specialized language can lead to mis-understanding and confusion. You can share your website, annual report, or other documentation that explains your work, mission, and terminology. You should do the same with theirs. Ask questions if you are unclear. “The Promise of Partnerships: Tapping into the College as a Community Asset”, by Jim Scheibel, Erin M. Bowley, and Steven Jones. Campus Compact

12. What is my Organization’s Responsibility to the Student? Curricular = Part of a course (Since this is a part of a course, it is the community organization’s responsibility to work with students to ensure that their community experiences help them understand their coursework, reflect on the experience, and complement what they are learning in the classroom). Co-curricular = Not part of a course Encompasses more traditional volunteer work, does not have the same academic focus, but is still useful to encourage students to think about the larger impact of the organization and their work within it. “The Promise of Partnerships: Tapping into the College as a Community Asset”, by Jim Scheibel, Erin M. Bowley, and Steven Jones. Campus Compact

13. HOW CAN I STRENGTHEN MY EXISITING PARTNERSHIP? Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, a national nonprofit organization that promotes health through partnerships between communities and higher education institutions, outlines the following characteristics of successful community-campus partnerships: * 1.Partners have agreed upon mission, goals, and measurable outcomes for the partnership. 2.The relationship between partners is characterized by mutual trust, respect, genuineness, and commitment. 3.The partnership builds upon identified strengths and assets, but also addresses issues that need improvement. 4.The partnership balances power among partners and enables resources among partners to be shared. 5.There is clear, open, and accessible communication between partners, making it an ongoing priority to listen to each need, develop a common language, and validate/clarify the meaning of terms. 6.Roles, norms, and processes for the partnership are established with the input and agreement of all partners. 7.There is feedback to, among, and from all stakeholders in the partnership, with the goal of continuously improving the partnership and its outcomes. 8.Partners share the credit for the partnership’s accomplishments. 9.Partnerships take time to develop and evolve over time. 10.* Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, Principles of Good Community-Campus Partnerships (http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/principles.html#principles). Note: The website also offers articles on putting these principles into practice.http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/principles.html#principles

14. MORE RESOURCES ON CAMPUS PARTNERSHIPS CAMPUS COMPACT: www.compact.orgwww.compact.org NATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING CLEARINGHOUSE: www.servicelearning.orgwww.servicelearning.org LEARN AND SERVE AMERICA: www.learnandserve.orgwww.learnandserve.org U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (HUD) OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS (OUP) www.oup.orgwww.oup.org HUD Community outreach partnership Centers (COPC) www.oup.org/about/copc.htmlwww.oup.org/about/copc.html COMMUNITY-CAMPUS PARTNERSHIPS FOR HEALTH (CCPH): http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/partnerships.html#Tools. http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/partnerships.html#Tools AMERICA’S PROMISE: THE ALLIANCE FOR YOUTH: www.americaspromise.orgwww.americaspromise.org THE ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUNITY AND HIGHER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS (ACHEP): www.achep.comwww.achep.com CEOS FOR CITIES: www.ceosforcities.orgwww.ceosforcities.org HIGHER EDUCATION CONSORTIUM FOR URBAN AFFAIRS (HECUA): www.hecua.orgwww.hecua.org