1. Planning for Sustainability
11:15a.m.-12:15 p.m.
July 29, 2016
Convening at HI-TEC

2. Elaine Craft
Director
SC ATE Center of Excellence
Jennifer Freeman
Director

3. Outline Sustainability Defined Examples from NSF and TAACCCT
Planning Exercise
Group Discussion

4. Sustainability Makes Sense
Grant Funding Regardless of Source
Expected to jumpstart programs or provide specific support
Never expected to provide operational support on an ongoing basis
Therefore recipients are expected to figure out how to sustain at least a portion of the work
How and what can be sustained varies

5. Why Focus on Sustainability?
NSF Requires [NSF , June 2014] …expected to communicate a realistic vision for sustainability. …expected that at least some aspects of both centers and projects will be sustained or institutionalized past the period of award funding.

6. Why Focus on Sustainability?
DOL Requires [SGA/DFA PY-13-10]
In rating proposals, 2 points were assigned to the Sustainability Plan.
…applicant will integrate …strategies and activities into their non-grant funded program(s) for continued success.
Evaluation: What contributions did each of the partners and other key stakeholders make towards …commitment to program sustainability?

7. What is Sustainability?
NSF: “Being sustainable means that a project or center has developed a product or service that the host institution, its partners, and its target audiences want continued.”
DOL: Looks for evidence of a grantee’s planning to “integrate these strategies and activities into their non-grant funded program(s) for continued success.”

8. General Sustainability Examples
Improved teaching practices are permanently integrated
New programs or courses continue to be offered
Recruitment strategies continue to be implemented
A host institution commits to maintaining some of the positions for those hired by a grant funded project.
Project partners agree to supply external resources to fund project components after funding ends.

9. Examples
NSF-ATE
Industry-paid internships and ATE Industry Consortium continue (SC, TX, and others)
New courses in emerging technologies approved, pilot-tested and added to college catalog (many ATE grantees)
Problem-based learning teaching methodology continues (MA, NC, NV, VA, SC and others)
TAACCCT
WI, CO and LA created statewide, transparent credit-for-prior-learning processes to accelerate student success
Colleges in Michigan are maintaining work-based leaning models and operating them as Registered Apprenticeship programs

10. Findings Institutionalize/embed Define audience/stakeholders
Evaluate/understand your value proposition
DATA, DATA, DATA!
Think creatively/explore possibilities
Early and often

11. Work to Institutionalize?
How to Implement?
Determine what is worth sustaining (data!)
Seek Funding?
Work to Institutionalize?
Lessons Learned

12. Funding
College
External *Grants
*Donations

13. Institutionalization
Integration
Adoption: equipment, curriculum, resources
Behavior modification
Partner relations

14. Sustainability Planning
Innovations to Sustain
instructional methods?
employer partnerships?
Career planning services?
Priorities they Align With
Collegewide goals?
Regional economic development initiatives?
statewide higher education policies?
Data to Show Success
Student retention and completion?
Employer testimonials?
Job placements?
Mechanism to Sustain the Innovation
MOU with partners?
College or statewide policy?
Professional development?

15. Group Work Individually: Group discussion of each person’s innovation:
Choose an innovation you think you should sustain
Think about the strategic priorities it is aligned with – goals of the college? Higher ed system goals? State economic development goals?
Group discussion of each person’s innovation:
what data could be used to support sustaining that innovation?
The mechanisms that could be used to sustain it?

16. Want more sustainability resources?
Search word: sustainability
Use the new “TAACCCT Sustainability Toolkit”. Webinar August 4, 2:00 pm. Register at

17. Q&A and Contacts Elaine Craft, Elaine.Craft@fdtc.edu
Jennifer Freeman,

18. Brought To You By: The TAACCCT Learning Network
With Additional Support by the ATE Collaborative Impact Project
And
The TAACCCT Learning Network
A technical assistance effort led by Jobs for the Future and supported by the US Department of Labor,
Employment and Training Administration
Disclaimer: This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants # and # and the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Grant # DOL- ETA-14-C   Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or Department of Labor.