Engagement – The ‘Spirit’ of CQUniversity Dr Pierre Viljoen Pro Vice-Chancellor – Community and Engagement June 2010

WHAT IS ‘ENGAGEMENT’? 2

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4 Harvard’s President, Drew Faust “… engage with the world, locally and globally, as responsible citizens committed to public purposes, as students and scholars ready to help solve complex problems with rigour and imagination, as people who live by the ethical standards we teach, as individuals who repay the privilege of being in a rare place like this by using our knowledge to help advance the well-being of people beyond our walls'' Not alone … Majority Australian universities have included engagement in either their vision/mission statements

5 ENGAGEMENT in Australia Strategy, policy and leadership University- wide partnerships Engaged teaching and research Traditional outreach Social inclusion Commendations (good practice) Affirmation/ Recommendation (areas for improvement) Cycle 1 Audit (‘02-’07): 39 Universities (36 Reports comments on Engagement/Service) Commendations – 90 incl. Good Practice Register Recommendations/Affirmations – 50+

ThemeNature of Commendations (good practices) Nature of Affirmations/ Recommendations (areas for improvement) Strategy, Policies and Leadership Commitment to community engagement Commitment to serving a region Commitment to equity objectives Review and restructure of strategies and plans on community engagement Leadership, coordination and university‐wide understanding Measuring and tracking community engagement Recognition for community engagement activities by staff Resourcing for community engagement (infrastructure, time, money and staff) Engaged Teaching and Research Effective liaison with schools and TAFE Articulation arrangements and pathways for students Benefits to community through research Course offerings and customisation to meet community needs Linkage with industry and commercial organisations Functioning of advisory committees Student engagement in community service Informing industry and the community about university research capabilities Quality assurance for practicum placements Research on community engagement 6 ENGAGEMENT in Education (continues)

7 CQUniversity – Cycle 1 Audit Commendation 9 AUQA commends Central Queensland University’s CQU Connections program which fosters access and success for students from rural and remote areas and disadvantaged backgrounds. Recommendation 14 AUQA recommends that Central Queensland University develop a coordinated approach to the planning, implementation and review of its community engagement activities and intentions. © Australian Universities Quality Agency 2006

‘ENGAGEMENT’ is... 8 Building collaborative relationships with internal and external communities leading to productive partnerships that yield mutually beneficial outcomes.

1.We support the AUCEA view that ‘university‐community engagement specifically implies collaborative relationships leading to productive partnerships that yield mutually beneficial outcomes’. 2.We see engagement as a worthwhile activity that requires organisational structures, time, energy and resources. 3.We will develop and employ well informed strategies and plans, strong policies and dedicated leadership to become Australia’s most engaged university. 4.We believe that effective engagement leads to enrichment of, and increased opportunity in the areas of teaching and learning and research and innovation. 9 STATEMENTS ON ENGAGEMENT

5.We understand that to become Australia’s most engaged university will require a whole of university approach, providing opportunities for every staff member and student to become increasingly involved in the engagement agenda and reap the accompanying rewards. 6.We recognise a range of communities that will be engaged, such as businesses, industries, professional associations, schools, all levels of government, alumni, indigenous and ethnic communities as well as groups of local citizens. 7.We are committed to the principles of social inclusion and widening participation and will provide broad access pathways to Higher Education to help students reach their educational potential. 8.We will develop and adapt effective performance indicators to monitor outcomes and achievements along our journey. 9.We will attend to research and the scholarship of engagement. 10 STATEMENTS ON ENGAGEMENT (continue)

Community-based work valued as a meaningful educational experience and a legitimate mode of scholarly work. Evaluation of academic staff and student work must include rigorous measures of the quality and impact of community based scholarship. Engagement and community partnerships require infrastructure. Assessment of benefits and impacts must consider both the institutional point-of-view and the perspectives of the community. Engagement is complex and skilled work - professional development 11 PRECONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS Holland & Ramaley, 2008

True engagement is at its heart – mutually beneficial for all parties reciprocal in nature, and designed to promote learning and the exchange of knowledge in the search for collaborative approaches to the solution of real-world problems and opportunities The creation of organizational and community environments that support these kinds of collaborations and exchanges will require different strategies at different times during the development of an institution. 12 LESSONS LEARNED Holland & Ramaley, 2008

The CQUNIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT MODEL 13

14 What will it take? Excitement Aspirations Acknowledge Challenges ‘Everything’ is Possible Vision Commitment Relationships

ENGAGEMENT strategies (1, 3, 5 & 10) 15 Strategy 1 - Philosophical framework Strategy 2 - Regional engagement mechanisms and responsibility Strategy 3 - Audit and map engagement activities Strategy 4 - Establish a Centre for Engagement Strategy 5 - Identify ‘untapped’ opportunities Strategy 6 - Cultural shift Strategy 7 - Discussions to embed engagement into teaching, learning and research. Strategy 8 - Reward and recognition policies and strategies Strategy 9 - Staff and student development initiatives Strategy 10 - Expand planned connections Strategy 11 - Develop suitable KPI’s Strategy 12 - Web 2.0

The ‘Spirit’ of CQUniversity 16

Engagement? 17 Not in my job description?

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