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Sustainability of the INAM Concepts and Strategies Paul Bucci, PhD Rebecca Lake, EdD October 28, 2014

INAM’s Sustainability Plan Federal applications (DOL, DOE, etc.) require a Sustainability Plan to be included in grant submissions. Copy of INAM Sustainability Plan included and found on page 39 of proposal.

The Future of Grant Projects No funder wants the projects or programs they support only to last for the life of the funds. Before investing in a project, the funder usually requires a plan for carrying the project’s work and impact into the future.

What is Meant by Sustainability of the Grant Funded Project Impact? Sustained impact refers to: those long-term effects or outcomes that may, or may not, be dependent on the continuation of a program. Which means (particularly to the funder): programs, projects, or services that continue because they are valued, supported, impactful, and have allocated to them, a variety of resources by those involved with the grant.

Planning for a Sustainability Plan Even if: the grant recipient does everything right has an exemplary program project or program very worthy It is not going to sustain itself ……. A sustainability plan must be carefully planned.

Sustained INAM Impacts

Beginning Sustainability Planning Process At the mid-point of the INAM project, how and in what ways its good work is sustained by the 21 colleges needs to be contemplated and discussed. To assist the 21 INAM colleges focus can be supported by using the 3 R’s: Review, Refine, and Renew

Review Sustainability of INAM Grant Impact Review the following items such as: −original needs assessment documenting underlying need your program was designed to address −program outcomes including data and relevant information −consider the sustained impact resulting from your efforts

Refine Sustainability of INAM Grant Impact Refine what in the INAM project is to be sustained: 1) What will we continue to do? (Start by identifying the components of the INAM program at your college. Just what are it’s components?) 2) What is our criteria for continuation? Positive impact on individuals and area employees, Cost effectiveness, Return on investment, Sufficient support by college administration and faculty

Renew Sustainability of INAM Grant Impact Projects and programs evolve over time and the sustainability of the many concepts and strategies started, enhanced and/or continued as a direct result of the INAM grant is no exception. Renew the INAM components, combine or streamline all or only a few key components

Crucial Points for Success A report summarizing projects funded by Kellogg Foundation in the 1990s indicated an “insightful lesson” as to what sustainability really means. According to the report, the most likely to be sustained after the initial life of the project were ones that created project materials and developed new“ organizational legacies” (i.e., changes in organizational structure, changes in how the work is done, and changes in prioritization of program implementation. (Hahn, Greene, & Waterman, 1994 as cited in JOE, Feb. 2002).

Sustainability through Institutionalization Dr. Paul T. Bucci President Paul T. Bucci PhD LLC

Sustainability and Institutionalization Institutionalization is the extent to which grant activities are sustained and incorporated into the normal, ongoing activities and budget of the college; grant-seeded and demonstrated innovations become standard operating procedure. Institutionalization is related to, but is not the same thing as sustainability. Activities could be sustained through additional funding; however, activities and components incorporated into the regular operation of the college, are more likely to be sustained as a part of institutionalization.

Sustainability and Institutionalization Fostering broader organizational and cultural change and scaling transformative practices into systemic reforms, while difficult, is the best way to sustain and institutionalize grant innovations.

Institutionalizing Grant-seeded and Demonstrated Capacities 1.Determine the activities to be institutionalized - Review What would work better if tweaked? - Refine What has worked? - Renew What has not worked? – Refine or Discard 2. Consider the long-term influence of activities and innovations to determine their sustainability worth. Is permanence desirable or necessary? 3. Determine the cost of capacity continuation

Institutionalize and Sustain? Activity for ReviewRefine?Renew? Discard? Institutional Change Internal college programmatic or organizational changes Inter-departmental collaboration Programmatic or organizational changes leading to increased retention and completion percentages Interdepartmental structures that help erase the traditional academic/occupational divide Professional development

Institutionalize and Sustain? Activity for ReviewRefine?Renew? Discard? Instructional Change More interactions between the credit and non-credit offerings Integrated academic and technical instruction Develop an applied approach to teaching and learning in which learning is a process of knowledge construction

Institutionalize and Sustain? Activity for ReviewRefine?Renew? Discard? Consortium Sustainability Shift from materials development to program improvement Increase inter-institutional collaboration and, cooperative efforts Outreach and recruitment methods that increase new student enrollment Work closely with employers and industry associations to create and design curriculum and skill and competency standards Shift from materials development to program improvement

Institutionalize and Sustain? Activity for ReviewRefine?Renew? Discard? Consortium Sustainability Articulations between community colleges and four-year institutions Collect, analyze, and report on data to inform decision-making

Institutionalize and Sustain Activity for ReviewRefine?Renew? Discard? Innovations Comprehensive assessment PLA Education plans Intrusive counseling Strengthened academic support services New programs Mentoring Career coaching and job preparation