2. Framework – Creating a
Partnership
How can we develop interdependence between two historically
independent sets of needs?
TOWN UNIVERSITY
Investment into Growth of University
Economy in resources and
Cultural Identity SERVICE prestige
(quaint, peaceful) Educating Students
Services for Producing Research
vulnerable
populations Serving Community
Problem: Deteriorating town/gown relationships
Solution: Service Learning
3. Service Learning
• Research has shown participation increases:
• Academic development
• Life skill development
• Sense of civic responsibility
• Strong correlation between duration of time
devoted to service and impact of positive effect
*Astin & Sax, 1998
4. Changing Campus Culture
• People
• Policy
• Programming
*Edited and modified from the 6-P Model designed by the National Center
for Higher Education Risk Management (NCHERM)
5. People P
E
• Primary Stakeholders
• Students
O
• Sunnyvale University P
L
• Community members of town
• Secondary Stakeholders
• Visitors to the university and town communities
E
• Sunnyvale University alumni
• Family members of Sunnyvale University students
6. Outcomes for Primary P
Stakeholders E
• STUDENTS will… O
P
• SUNNYVALE UNIVERSITY will…
L
• The TOWN will… E
7. Creating Investment P
E
• Point person at university (Dean of Students)
• Point person in town (Mayor)
O
P
• Leaders will create advisory groups and disseminate
information to inspire investment in outcomes and proposed L
solutions.
E
8. Policy P
O
• The town bordering Sunnyvale University will become a site of
historical preservation. L
• Sunnyvale University and the bordering town will establish a
partnership to preserve the town’s history through appointed I
leaders and related advisory groups.
• Community members, students, and administrators will all engage
C
in identifying and maintaining areas of preservation in the town. Y
9. Mission Statement P
O
In order to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes for Sunnyvale
University students, the Sunnyvale University institution, and L
the bordering town, the mission of the proposed policy is to
improve town-gown relations and student civility through a
I
long-term effort to preserve the history and culture of the
town using student civic engagement, university
C
programming, and town-gown partnerships. Y
10. P
Programming Initiatives R
O
• Four Program Initiatives G
o Kick-off and recognition events R
o Service Projects A
o Curricular Programs M
o Student life Initiatives M
• Three Budgetary Phases I
• Four Program Aspects N
o Components G
o Resources
o Evaluation
o Recognition
11. Budgetary Phase 1: Limited/None
Phase One Kick-Off & Recognition Service Projects Curricular Student Life Initiatives
Programs Events Programs
Components Reveal strategic plan Semesterly service Incorporate Incentives for students
Social media outreach projects for SVPreserve required service to go to certain
Community service Create database with hours into areas/restaurants
representatives available community service appropriate courses Redesign
Speakers representing all organizations & Sestercentennial
stakeholders opportunities
Resources Social media team Community partnerships 1. Faculty Community partners
Stage set-up Social media 2. Curriculum input Student Activities
Tables & tents Website 3. Community professionals
Transportation service
Staff partnerships
Grants
Monitoring/ Attendance Use of database by Impact on student: Community impact
Evaluation Social media use students community Changes in student
Participation in the following Participation in service relationship culture
community projects Learning outcomes Participation in
service/restoration efforts Civic engagement Sestercentennial
learning outcomes
Recognition Recognition ceremony Recognition at annual Faculty annual Recognize
Community and university awards ceremony reports Sestercentennial
speakers student leaders
Press releases
12. Budgetary Phase 2: Limited P
R
Phase Two
Programs
Kick-Off & Recognition
Events
Service Projects Curricular Programs Student Life
Initiatives O
Components Outside keynote
speaker
Monthly service
projects for
Faculty: student
roundtables
Monthly stakeholder
brownbag lunches G
Resources Contracts - speakers
SVPreserve
No change No change Brown bag budget
R
On campus spaces
A
Monitoring/
Evaluation
No change No change No change No change
M
Recognition Outside keynote
speakers
Co-curriculum
transcript
No change No change
M
I
N
G
13. Budgetary Phase 3: Ideal P
R
Phase Three
Programs
Kick-Off &
Recognition Events
Service Projects Curricular Programs Student Life
Initiatives O
Components Entertainment &
food
Weekly , & monthly
service projects for
Create campus
wide civic
Weekly stakeholder
brownbag lunches
G
SVPreserve
New Civic Engagement
engagement course
R
Resources Catering supplies
Office
Additional staff Additional faculty Brown bag budget
A
New building Curriculum On campus spaces
M
M
Monitoring/ No change No change No change No change
Evaluation
Recognition Keynote speaker
Service scholarships
Service Scholarships Faculty Stipends No change
I
N
G
18. WordPress
• Integration of
strategic
communication
tools
• Project
Documentation
• Stakeholder
Reflection
19. CAS Standards – Service
Learning
• Mission • Diversity, Equity, & Access
• Creating mutually beneficial • Learning outcomes were
outcomes for Sunnyvale considered with following in
University and surrounding mind: multicultural education,
communities social justice awareness, and
• Program fostering sense of civic
responsibility
• Meeting desirable student
learning/development • Institutional & External
outcomes Relations
• Law, Policy, and Governance • Related to the problem at hand:
aimed to be a response
• In conjunction with surrounding
measure to a community need
community, seek input to
ensure compliance with laws, • Technology
regulations, and policies • Social Media use for strategic
currently in place communication and academic
forum
20. Summary
• Addresses recent tensions
• Framed by scholarly literature
• Benchmarked by the Council for the
Advancement of Standards in Higher
Education
• Cultivates partnership
• Sustains investment through long-term
programming
21. References
• Astin, A. W. & Sax, L. J. (1998). How undergraduates are affected by service
participation. Journal of College Student Development, 39 (3), 251-263.
• Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (2002). Campus–community partnerships: The
terms of engagement. Journal of Social Issues, 58(3), 503-516.
• Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (1996). Implementing service learning in higher
education. The Journal of Higher Education, 221-239.
• Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (2012). The role
of service-learning programs. CAS professional standards for higher
education (8th ed.). Washington, DC
• Sokolow, B. (2005). “The NCHERM 6-P Model for Campus Culture Change.”
In The NCHERM Chronicle of Campus Conduct. Vol. 1, Issue 30. October
14th, 2005. NCHERM: Malvern, PA.
• Upcraft, M.L., Schuh, J.H. (1996). Assessment in student affairs: A guide for
practitioners. San Francisco: Jossy-Bass
• Webber, H. (2012). Building effective city-university partnerships: Lessons from
the heartland. Retrieved from
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/var/ezp_site/storage/fckeditor/file/pdfs/centers-
programs/centers/rappaport/policybriefs/webber_final2.pdf
Editor's Notes
SunnyVale Preserve (a.k.a. SVPreserve) is a movement developed in response to recent tensions between SunnyVale University and the surrounding community. This presentation will outline the framework, stakeholders, mission statement, programming initiatives, and strategic communication strategies associated with this project and ongoing partnership. We ground our proposal in the relevant scholarly literature and link it to the professional standards outlined by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education.
In order to establish a successful relationship between the town and Sunnyvale University, the understanding must be made by both parties that they are self-serving, independent entities that can create a mutually beneficial partnership to serve these distinct needs. The school has “been an integral part of the area since its doors first opened” and the students “pump needed dollars into the town’s economy.” However, the decaying relationship between the two entities due to the growth of the university and the late night parties that have become a part of the SU nightlife have encroached on another need of the town: preservation of the peaceful and quaint small town. The town does not want to be overrun by the university and has felt their identity slipping away in recent years, punctuated by the events of the Sestercentennial celebration during which the town was effectively overtaken with university activities. From the institution’s perspective, the University wants to continue its growth and continue to accumulate resources to increase their prestige. In doing so, this increased prestige leads to greater investment in resources from external resources. Resources and prestige attract more potential students, resulting in more growth for the University (Upcraft & Schuh, 1996). Another way of looking at this difference in priorities is that cities or town desire “services for vulnerable populations and smart public policies. Academic institutions need to educate students and produce research” (Webber, 2012, pg. 3). In our current situation, we can’t change either of these entities; we must find ways to serve and meet both of these needs. Research has shown “the strongest partnerships between universities and cities are based on academic programs that combine service with research and human capital development” (Webber, 2012, pg.3).
Our initiative is based around a service learning program rather than community service because of the impact on student development these programs have shown and the importance of establishing a program with long-term reach rather than a short-term fix. We want Sunnyvale students to create foundational values for themselves on the impact their work has on the communities involved in addition to creating an environment that encourages continued investment in our program. One particular study by Astin & Sax has served as the theoretical basis and reasoning for the growth in service learning programs within higher education, as their research has shown student development in three domains: civic responsibility, educational attainment or academic development, and life skills. The results of the study were very striking: every one of the 35 outcomes was favorably influenced by engagement in some form of service work, regardless of type (education, human needs, public safety, or the environment). The study also showed a strong correlation between the duration of time devoted to service and the impact of positive effect, backing up our desire to create an initiative that students embrace from the start of their college experience and maintain throughout their time at Sunnyvale. Service learning helps us meet student educational needs, the institutions needs to serve the community, and the communities need for assistance in a variety of services.
Our initiative must also take into account the need to change the campus culture. While we can’t change the mission, purpose, and goals of the University, we can change the environment in which it chooses to accomplish these ideals. The late night partying and roaming of students has been a distraction for both the town and the University. Cultures are built up over years and become ingrained in the people who carry these out, which makes them difficult to change. However, culture is “formed and forged, and it can be shaped and reshaped.” In this case, students may not be aware of these activities being a burden on the surrounding community because it is what they have known. The National Center for Higher Education Risk Management (NCHERM) has developed a model for implementing successful culture change, called the 6-P model. The 6-P’s consist of the following: people, practices, policies, procedures, protocols, and programming (Sokolow, 2005).Because our area of culture change focuses around a specific type of behavior and must take into account the needs of the impacted community (the town in this case), we have edited and modified this model to fit our specific needs. We are focusing our initiative around people – specifically looking at the outcomes and stakeholders impacted; policy – creating a sound partnership with the community; and programming – creating a service learning based educational experience that challenges students to make a short-term impact while creating a long-term community relationship and making meaning through a variety of reflection outlets, including social media.
Several stakeholders were identified for the purpose of this partnership, separated into primary and secondary stakeholders based on their proximity to the project.
For the primary stakeholders, several outcomes of the project and/or partnership were identified:STUDENTS will…civically engage with the university and townrespect the communityengage in university-sponsored activitiesdevelop practical skills related to serving the communitystrategically communicate with the use of social mediaSUNNYVALE UNIVERSITY will…Create sustainable programs for student engagementEstablish a mutually beneficial town-gown relationshipConsistently communicate with town leadersIncrease institutional prestige Engage alumni in town-gown relationshipStrategically communicate with the use of social mediaThe TOWN will…Understand and embrace a healthy level of student engagement in the communityUnderstand and embrace town-gown interdependenceEstablish a better residential experience for community membersGrow economicallyStrategically communicate with the use of social media
In order to effectively develop and cultivate this partnership between the institution and the community, it will be essential that we create investment among all parties involved. Thus, point person(s) will need to be established for both the institution and community. These individuals will be responsible for establishing advisory groups, as well as maintaining the partnership past the conclusion of the preservation project itself.
Policy development was conceptually influenced by:Webber, H. (2012, April). Building effective city-university partnerships: Lessons from the heartland. Boston Area Research Initiative, 1-6. “Sustainable partnerships are based on mutual self-interest and have clear rules of engagement” (Webber, 2012, p. 3).“Neighborhood change is difficult to achieve and inevitably is conflictual” (Webber, 2012, p. 3).“Many of the strongest partnerships between universities and cities are based on academic programs that combine service with research and human capital development” (Webber, 2012, p. 4)
In order to guide the programming aspect of SVPreserve, the following mission statement was developed.
Four programming initiatives were developed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining an ongoing partnership between the institution and community through SVPreserve. Due to limited knowledge of budget for these initiatives, three budgetary phases were developed. The following slides will outline each budgetary phase as it relates to the initiatives.
This slide represents the project in budgetary phase 1, accounting for a limited budget. The following slides will convey how this plan will change in the 2nd and 3rd budgetary phase. Items listed represent additions to the plan you see here.
Strategic communication will serve an integral role throughout the SV Preserve partnership, providing a space for motivation, communication, connection, documentation, and reflection. Recognizing that in any strategic communication plan, it is essential that tools utilized each serve a distinct purpose, we plan to utilize YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress (See hyperlinks to pages).
YouTube will serve as a valuable tool for motivation through the creation of playlists around topics of civic engagement, civility, service-learning, and preservation. It will also play a role in regard to documentation and reflection in that university and community stakeholders can develop and upload videos regarding their specific experiences. If fundraising is ever necessary for this project, YouTube will serve as a viable tool for distributing promotional videos regarding the SVPreserve partnership.
Facebook will serve primarily as a tool for community and connection, allowing students, faculty/staff, community members, alumni, and visitors to stay up to date regarding the events associated with the project and partnership. The Kick-Off Event, if this proposal is approved, is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 24th in the heart of the community.
Twitter will also serve as a tool for communication and connection; however, it will be best utilized in order to reach populations outside of the project’s specific stakeholders. SVPreserve hopes to become a best practice in the area of developing and cultivating ongoing institution-community partnerships.
WordPress will serve as the culmination of all other strategic communication tools. It will incorporate Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube into its sidebar, having countdowns to major events and organized by content tags. This tool will serve primarily as a space for documentation of the project through pictures, videos, and stakeholder reflections. Together, these four social media tools should serve the purposes outlined earlier in this presentation.
In compliance with the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, we believe our program has met the 11 standards and guidelines prescribed in regards to establishing service learning programs. Some highlights:MissionSee earlier for mission and vision objectives of the programProgramWe aim to meet relevant and desirable student learning and development outcomes through intentional designOur program is responsive to the needs of all stakeholders involved: the community, students, the institution, and alumniWe offer a multitude of experiences related to the service learning opportunity for students to maximize their experienceLaw, Policy, and GovernanceIn conjunction with surrounding community, seek input to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and policies currently in placeWill regularly review the policies to adjust and improve where necessaryDiversity, Equity, and AccessThe program is open to all students is aimed to be part of the new culture of the student body, welcoming all persons of diverse backgroundsLearning outcomes were considered with following in mind: multicultural education, social justice awareness, and fostering sense of civic responsibilityEnsure access and resources for persons with disabilitiesInstitutional & External RelationsAimed to be a response measure to a community needOnce a new town-university relationship is established, the University will continue to maintain and promote understanding for the importance of the program and ensure inclusion of the town’s perspective in future direction of the programShare the development of the initiative once it has been successfully implemented for some time with the purpose of collaborative efforts from other institutions and communitiesTechnologyUtilization of social media as a form of reflection for students to create meaning and significance of the programPromotion of new opportunitiesStrategic communication for all parties involvedAssessing the efficacy of the program in regards to student development, institutional goals, and community needs
The SVPreserve movement is one which will address recent tensions between SunnyVale University and the surrounding community. Framed with relevant scholarly literature and benchmarked through the guidelines by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, SVPreserve will succeed in cultivating a partnership between these entities that is mutually beneficial. Stakeholder investment inspired by the initial preservation project will continue to be cultivated by the integration of long term service and reflection.
