Integrating Community Outreach into the Classroom Carol Kline, Dale Mackey, Maxin Galvan Kelly Mizelle and Jennifer Beedle North Carolina State University
Pamlico County
Colliding Forces • Student need for field experiences • County need for unified and expanded tourism/ recreation planning • Niche grant availability • Teacher burn-out
Campus People Power • 11 Undergraduates • 2 Graduate Students • Recreation Resources Service staff • Guest speakers S Ca
Co
County People Power 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. •
Pamlico County Extension Director Chamber Director (part-time) Soil & Water Conservation Specialist Newspaper Journalist Charter Fisherman Community College SBDC Director Other members of Rural Development Panel and business owners
Budget - $9K • Salary release time • Travel expenses – bus & driver – hotel** – food**
• Supplies
Schedule • • • •
Class met once week for two hours Homework Two field trips Final presentation
Classroom Time • Background community & economic development • General research on county • Survey instrument design – Online resident, focus group, visitor intercepts
• Various elements of tourism planning and development – Guest speakers
• SWOTing, brainstorming & strategizing
Field Time • Focus groups • Individual discussions – formal and informal
• • • •
Visitor intercepts Touring sites Listening Asking questions
“Homework” Time • Weekly assignments • Individual meetings with Carol • Section of the plan
Tourism Plan Deliverables 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
National Tourism Trends County Stats Assets Inventory Intangible Assets Product Development Recommendations Community Issues Community Involvement Recommendations
Tourism Plan Deliverables 8. Marketing Strategies –
Short and long-term
9. Natural Resource Management Strategies 10. Implementation & Evaluation Strategies/ Timeline 11. Funding/ grant sources
More Deliverables • • • •
State DOT traffic maps GIS Layers Resident survey report County-specific secondary data from other NC studies: equestrian tourism, entrepreneurial climate, visitation • Photo library: people and places
Even More Products • • • •
Importance-performance Analysis Time/ Dollar Investment Literature Review Research Poster
Results - County • Final presentation well-received, media attention & favorable feedback on plan • Rural Development Panel → Pamlico Rural Tourism Council • Down East Destinations launched
Results - County • Tourism Day is October 13 • Presentation to County Commissioners is planned for November • Increased momentum/ enthusiasm among stakeholders • Cost-efficient
Results - Students • Reviews were very positive – Longer class time • Applied new knowledge/ class activities were actually used • Developed/ honed skills • Contact with a real community with real challenges • Truly worked together as consultants • Confidence boost
Results - Extension • Project received visibility and praise throughout various Extension channels on state and local levels • Raising awareness among students of outreach as a career path • NCSU good will/ PR was generated • Teacher participated in a fresh program
Challenges • Enormous amount of planning – Correspond several times a week with county – Requires flexibility in students & teacher
• Fitting it into a semester format • Salary release time…?
Benefits FAR Outweighed Challenges