Information Sessions December 4 th & 5 th 2012

1. Information Sessions • December 4th & 5th 2012

2. Pioneers Info Session Agenda • LEEP Pioneer Projects 2012 • What we did and why • What we learned • LEEP Pioneer Projects 2013 • Project criteria • Student criteria • Organization & evaluation • Faculty and staff involvement • Questions and next steps

3. The LEEP Projects

4. Pioneer Projects 2012 • Who? • Primarily rising seniors • Typically a three-way collaboration: • student  external partner  faculty • What? • Design and complete a project that solves a problem or answers a question • Respond to needs of external organization/internship placement • or • Build on student and faculty’s existing research • or • Self-initiated, i.e. artistic or entrepreneurial • When? • Summer, occasionally spring or fall terms

5. Pioneer Projects 2012 • Where? • A non-classroom setting – • e.g., lab, theater, company, field site, NGO • Summer 2012: • EMC, National Grid, Clearing House, CBS, Recology, National Strategies, Mount Grace Land Trust, Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce, EcoTarium, NOAA Alaska Fisheries, more…… • How? • Attend preparatory campus workshops • Plan and execute a project, with faculty and/or partner • Complete Reflective Practice Plans • Present work, visually or orally • Why? • Demonstrates a student’s capacities for effective practice • A culminating experience • Prepares students for life after Clark

6. Pioneer Projects 2012 • 46 students • 35 with external partners • 16 non-profit organizations • 11 commercial organizations • 1 educational organization • 7 governmental organizations • 11 with Clark as partner • 6 out of the country; in four states, 70% in Worcester county • 41 projects with faculty mentors • 50% sciences • 30% social sciences 20% arts/humanities

7. Pioneer Projects 2012 • Worcester Land Trust, Therese Smith • Economics, rising senior • J Geoghegan, J Brown, Economics, advisors • Examined the relationship between proximity to green space and house price • National Clearinghouse, Calvin Choi • Political Science, graduated senior • Arrived “ready to go,” a “superstar”Working on a competitive analysis of the banking industry

8. LEEPPioneers 2012 Observations • Transformative experiences • Several job offers Administrative Challenges • Lead-time • Internship? project? • Clarity on expectations • Information management • Cost & allocation of resources • Customization: you can have too much of a good thing! Pioneer Project Evaluation • Fall Fest Fall workshops & written feedback • Survey of external partners and faculty • Analysis of Reflective Practice Plan

9. LEEP Pioneer Projects 2.0100 Pioneers2013 50 Pioneers 2012 450Students2016 Clark Camp Parking Structure Main Street

10. Projects 2.0 2013 • Who? • 80 external organizations/mentors • Alumni – 40 (8X more) • LEEP Alliance Partners – 20 (4X more) • Worcester area organizations - 15 • National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration - 5 • 20 Clark-created opportunities • Research experiences • Campus employment

11. Projects 2.0 2013 • What’s different? • Early identification of students, faculty, partners • Integrated with LEEP Center & campus departments: • Academic Affairs, University Advancement, Career Services, Student Advising, Registrar, Financial Aid, Payroll, Budgeting, Admissions, Communications & Marketing, IT • Defined as projects with established expectations for all participants • Aligned with curriculum and with other summer funding programs • Improved connecting of talents with opportunities • Professionallymanaged campus team

12. LEEP Learning Objectives LEEP amplifies thee unique to Clark: effective practice. Students will graduate with: • Knowledge of the natural world and human cultures and societies • Intellectual and practical skills • Personal and social responsibility • Ability to integrate knowledge and skills + Clark's Defining Contribution: 5. Capacities of effective practice – including creativity and imagination, self-directedness, resilience and persistence, and the ability to collaborate across differences and manage complexity *Learning outcomes Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)

13. Capacities of Enactment

14. LEEP Projects Defined • A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and an end • A project is usually time-limited, and often constrained by funding or deliverables (e.g. report, video, grant proposal, media campaign, business plan, art exhibit, lesson plan, dramatic production, etc.). • Projects are undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, usually to solve a problem or answer a question. • Through a LEEP Project, students will publicly demonstrate mastery of the LEEP learning outcomes, particularly the capacities of effective practice. • The project may respond to the needs of an external partner/organization, build on an existing research program, or be self-initiated as in the case of an artistic or entrepreneurial work.

15. LEEP Projects defined • Project participants include: • student or student team • external partner; e.g., alumni or other organization • faculty/staff mentor • Students receive a stipend to cover non-funded project expenses. • Mentors receive a stipend to cover their time.

16. LEEP Project cont’d. • Student time commitments: • 1. Approximately 150 hours of work. (Full time 4-5 weeks during the summer, or 10 hours a week during the semester.) • 2. 12-15 hours of LEEP Pioneer Project workshops, in order to prepare for successful project completion and enhance effective practice skills. Topics will include but not be limited to working collaboratively, presenting your work orally and visually, creativity beyond the classroom, the purpose and practices of reflection, and readiness for the professional work environment. • In addition to the project itself, students: • Participate in workshops designed to enhance their effective practice skills. • Write (reflection papers, blogs or journals), in which they articulate what they have learned. • Present their projects, experiences and learnings during Fall Fest 2013.

17. LEEP Project Student Selection Criteria • Student candidates for LEEP Projects, ideally: • Juniors • Prior internship, volunteering, or employment experience  • In good standing academically and socially; i.e., not on probation • Have an updated resume in hand; i.e., approved by the LEEP Center /Career Services

18. Support for LEEP Pioneers • LEEP Center/Career Services will provide guidance: • Resume development • Interviewing techniques • Coaching • Faculty & Staff Mentoring • Project Management Support

19. Projects 2.0 2013 • How can faculty and staff get involved? • Provide LEEP Project opportunities • Offer to mentor LEEP Pioneers • Encourage students to apply • Connect us to organizations and alumni who can assist

20. Frequently Asked Questions • How does a LEEP Project differ from an internship? From an academic internship? • What’s the connection between a LEEP Project and senior thesis or honors paper? • What’s the difference between a LEEP Project Mentor and a Faculty Adviser • Who decides the project parameters – student? Faculty/staff? Organizational sponsor? • Who provides the financial support? ******ADDITIONAL FAQs on LEEP Pioneer Project website

21. LEEP Projects 2013 Plan

22. Additional Information • Answers to Frequently Asked Questions and student application forms are available at: http://www.clarku.edu/leep/pioneer2013apply.cfm • Refer questions about LEEP Projects to: Will O’Brien, LEEP Project Manager, at wobrien@clarku.edu • Refer questions about mentoring to: • Mary-Ellen Boyle, Dean of the College, mboyle@clarku.edu

23. Questions?