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Engaged Times A member resource of Campus Compact By Julie B. Elkins, Ed.D., Director of Academic Initiatives !"#$%&'('''''())$&'*! !"#"$%"&'()'*++(!
Presidential Partners What is the subject? Developing positive lasting relationships with college/university presidents is a critical aspect of our work. College presidents have a unique leadership role in the college community. The average tenure of a president has increased from 6.6 in 2001 to 8.5 years (ACE 2007)—often less than tenured faculty or administrators. Whether your president has been newly appointed or is a steady fixture on campus, it is essential that you develop a collaborative relationship. As you work to champion community/ civic engagement, the leadership of your college president is an essential partner to advance and frame an institutional mission dedicated to community engagement. Role of the President The role of the college president is complex since many serve “at the pleasure of the board.” Some have contracts, others have a simple letter of hire, and a few may serve as the result of nothing more than a handshake. Presidents rarely have specific scopes of duties or even a document that outlines how their performance will be evaluated. Despite this significant ambiguity and despite the vast differences among various institutions, there is one undeniable truth: the president of the institution is its formal leader. Of course, as Robert Birnbaum, Ed. D., professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, reminds us, “Regardless of what may appear in the charter and bylaws, the authority of the president, his real leadership, depends on the willingness of the campus to accept him as a leader.” (Birnbaum, 1997). Herein lies opportunity. College presidents enjoy positional leadership by the virtue of their title. Many build support among their multiple constituents to open the door to become transformative leaders. Regardless of where your president falls on the leadership continuum, his/her commitment is critical to achieving meaningful inclusive and pervasive civic engagement for your campus.
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! Many markers signal institutional engagement—from the mission, vision, goals, and departmental priorities to resource allocation. However, all these efforts are destined to fall short without a visible and significant commitment from the formal, leaders of the institution: presidents, provosts, and vice presidents. What do President’s have to say on this subject? I had the opportunity to chat with two university presidents, Chancellor James Dworkin of Purdue University North Central and President Karen Gross of Southern Vermont College about community engagement in higher education. Chancellor Dworkin is a powerful leader with a clear and sustained commitment to community engagement. He views it as a cornerstone of the university. He has worked with multiple constituents at Purdue University-North Central to create an institutional vision and mission of community engagement. Students, faculty, and staff have utilized different access points to Chancellor Dworkin such as visiting him during his bi-weekly open office hour, speaking at open forums, and crafting emails to highlight their work in community engagement. Chancellor Dworkin said that the most powerful way to talk with him about being an engaged community is when faculty/staff bring in students or community members that had directly benefited from their experiences. As a university president he also values “management by wandering” as a way to connect with members of the campus community and create opportunities for face-toface conversations about civic engagement. Chancellor Dworkin emphasized that being an engaged community meets two primary goals. It prepares students for the private good. The private good is defined as student learning, such as a student’s future vocation through the applied benefits of experiential learning. It also prepares students for the public good. Public good is a method of joining with the larger community in service, research, and partnerships. President Karen Gross of Southern Vermont College talked about framing the argument for community engagement. She highlighted four critical benefits of an engaged community. 1. Benefit to our students. Community engagement has a powerful impact on our students, not just when they are with us, but also after they graduate. They become more active participants in their communities, giving back and connecting with others. This is a tremendous means of student empowerment. 2. New pedagogy. Faculty is able to create new pedagogical strategies that enable greater student success. Service learning enriches the classroom experience, enabling a meaningful link between theory and practice. 3. Consistent with institutional mission. Community engagement supports the mission of the college to create thoughtful leaders of the future who know how to participate in the larger community from multiple perspectives and actively engage in the democratic process. 4. Assist students at risk. Community and civic engagement can assist vulnerable and first generations students in becoming successful. This is part of a comprehensive strategy that can assist students not only to gain access to higher education but!
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! also to graduate successfully. This is a major enhancer in terms of enrollment and retention. President Gross also talked about the benefits of being a member of Campus Compact. She outlined three major aspects of how participating in the Compact can play a significant role in these fiscally-challenging times: 1. Quality involvement. Being an engaged college helps with student retention, and Campus Compact has shared strategies and support to facilitate quality community engagement. This is significant to tuition-dependent institutions as they reflect upon their budgets. It is particularly helpful when designing programs for retention of vulnerable students. 2. Faculty and Staff Development. In this difficult economy it’s challenging to provide faculty and staff development opportunities. Campus Compact has provided thoughtful ways to do local, statewide and regional development, thereby allowing enrichment for our faculty and staff. 3. Resources. Connection to community is one of the antidotes to insularity. It can also help leverage resources. When we are able to collaborate with our surrounding communities, we can find ways to create win-wins by working together on shared programming, student involvement in projects and organizations, and joint efforts to improve the lives of those around us. Civic engagement can play a significant role in a student's day-to day education, and it can foster their development along the pathway to graduation. Strategies for Community Service Directors and Faculty to Consider Universities are designed on a shared governance structure. Therefore, there are multiple constituents such as students, faculty, staff, board of trustees and community members that shape a president’s work. To build support for any transformative change, savvy presidents will strategically build upon their spheres of influence, and maximize contact with all constituents. While the president may be the formal positional leader, building a critical mass that buys into the importance of civic engagement is essential for presidents. The following are some strategies that you may choose to use as you work to champion community engagement. Building positive interpersonal relationships is an essential tool to create a critical mass for change. Once you have developed these relationships, you can create opportunities to have informal conversations, raise questions, and share information about being an engaged institution. Be visible and involved across the academy. ! Consistently attend Board of Trustee meetings. ! Consistently attend Faculty Senate meetings. ! Explore and implement other ways to participate in formal venues. • Volunteer for campus-wide committees. • Hold elected offices to campus-wide entities such as a union position or student affairs committee member. • Participate in talks hosted by the Provost or the Dean’s Council. • Attend campus-wide holiday events. • Attend open candidate presentations for future staff/faculty and ask questions about community engagement.
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! ! Attend town events such as fairs. Bring your business cards and spend time making personal connections with community tables. ! Volunteer to be on a town committee for a one-time event. ! Eat lunch, buy groceries, or frequent town merchants. Introduce yourself and support the local economy. ! Meet your legislators. Go to open forums, introduce yourself, and discuss the topic of civic engagement. ! Support students to visit legislators. Work with your governmental relations department to mobilize students on identified priorities. Frame your talks to formal leaders focusing on the bottom line. Craft your message. Keep it clear, positive, concise and memorable. For example: Mayor Betsy Patterson of Storrs, Connecticut worked the phase “we are one community� into every conversation she had with university officials, students, and fulltime community residents. Soon, others were quoting her and using the same phrase. Do your homework and deliver the numbers. How many students were involved in civic engagement last year? How many community agencies did they work with? How many research dollars were secured? What is the GPA of students involved in civic engagement? What percentage of these students graduate? How many community members were reached through these efforts? How many grants were secured? What is the financial gain achieved through these joint efforts? Sell the story. Develop key messages and stories. What are the key accomplishments of your community-campus partnership? What stories can be told about the positive impact on community partners? Are there students or community members that can tell this story effectively? You might enlist the assistance of your Public Affairs staff to craft a message. Engaged campuses are created when the members of the college are personally and professionally engaged in the community. It is also about a mindset, a philosophy that speaks to optimizing learning, service, collaboration, and the sharing of resources. I think Mayor Patterson was on to something powerful. Where are the Resources? Interpretive leadership: How college presidents influence constituents to participate during institutional renewal. This is a doctoral dissertation-case study on the influence of college presidents during change. http://app.cul.columbia.edu:8080/ac/handle/10022/AC:P:17062 The 10 Best College Presidents. This is a Time magazine feature from November 11, 2009. The important story here is the opportunity for influence and the potential spheres of influence for college presidents. http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1937938_1937934,00.ht ml!
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President’s Declaration. It is a challenge to higher education to become engaged, through actions and teaching, with its communities. 1999.! http://www.compact.org/resources-for-presidents/presidents-declaration-on-the-civicresponsibility-of-higher-education/about-the-declaration/
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The College Presidency and Civic Engagement: Player or Spectator? Examines perspectives on the role of college presidents in shaping public policy. Reports on a national survey of presidents regarding civic engagement, which highlights diverse strategies of engagement. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_ nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ654282&ERICExtSearch_SearchT ype_0=no&accno=EJ654282 Interview with Dr. Lynn Suydam, president of St. Louis Community College at Meramec. She provides advice to other presidents and chancellors to encourage them to integrate service learning and civic engagement into their campuses and classrooms. www.mc.maricopa.edu/other/engagement/Journal/.../Suydam.pd!
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Role of the Provost in Institutionalizing Civic Engagement. AASCU Academic Affairs Winter Meeting-2009, Sandra J. Jordan. www.aascu.org/meetings/aa.../2-6%20Fri%201045%20Jordan.ppt!
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Internal Journeys of College Presidents: Diary Reflections about Leadership and Values. Service Learning, and Community Partnerships: Instilling Citizenship and Civic Engagement. NASPA Journal of College and Character. http://www.collegevalues.org/articles.cfm?a=1&id=980 Strategic Directions for Service-Learning Research: A Presidential Perspective. Discusses service learning research, emphasizing: why institutions are interested in service learning; service learning to promote community involvement; college presidents' role in promoting service learning; creating the capacity for change; and a research agenda. Emphasizes how much can be gained from communication between higher education researchers, program managers, and campus leaders, with the scholar/president as the bridge between them. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_ nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ620036&ERICExtSearch_SearchT ype_0=no&accno=EJ620036 Learn and Serves College President Honor Roll. http://www.learnandserve.gov/about/programs/higher_ed_honorroll.asp Community-Campus Partnership at Duke. Presidential and Board Leadership. https://community.duke.edu/duke/index.php
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