Sunnyvale University & Quaintown: Bridging the Gap

1. Sunnyvale University & Quaintown: Bridging the Gap SU Dean of Students Team Leader: Adam Crawford Team Members: Robin Hamilton, Alex Johnson, & Erin Sullivan Missouri State University

2. The Issue • SU is an integral part of the community • School has slowly encroached upon the community proper • Over the past decade the methodical advance upon the area’s borders has frayed the symbiotic relationship between the two entities • Late night parties have disrupted the genteel fabric of the community. • Roaming groups of students have been an unending nuisance during the weekend hours • The town/gown relationship became even more frayed during last year’s Sestercentennial celebration when it seemed the community was constantly under siege by students and even alumni • Undergraduate students raising "ruckus" in the community • occasional articles in both the school newspaper and local publication about the town/gown problems

3. The Stakeholders • Community Members • Families • Business Owners • Church Affiliations • Politicians • Student Government Association • University Senate • General Student Body • Faculty and Staff • Mayor • Deputy Mayor • Town Council • University President • Board of Trustees • Dean of Students • Director of Residence Life • Director of Student Activities • Media (Newspaper, Local News Stations)

4. Commonality of our Struggle • Town/gown issues are not isolated to Quaintown & SU (Fischer, 2010; Steinkamp, 1998) • University of Massachusetts • Carnagie Mellon • University of Pittsburgh • This is not a new issue (Marcus, 1999). • Therefore, it is important that we not reinvent the wheel; use what is available • relevant research • best practice models • theoretical frameworks

5. Research - Trainings • Professional trainings offered on effective town/gown relations • ITGA Certificate Program in Town-Gown Relations • International Town-Gown Association • Online, six week program led by town/gown experts • Capstone Project: develop action plan to address students' own town/gown issues • (International, 2013)

6. Community /University Interactions Incidental Impacts (Universities provide jobs, spend money, build) Intentional Contributions (Universities consciously set out to strengthen their cities) Extracted Benefit (Something the city demands of the university as a quid pro quo) “Universities should move from merely coexisting with our communities, or reaching out to them only when we need something, to incorporating regional vitality into our planning for institutional growth” (Freeland, 2005).

7. Research: Successful Relationships • "Think Outside the Lunch Box" @ Univ. of Evansville • brings university faculty to an off-campus venue to give brief talks about current issues and events impacting the community. (Kazee, 2012) • Universities/cities/community organizations should find alignments in missions to find focus for collaborative partnerships (Stevenson, 1999). • White (2010) recommends: • transparency in goals, operations, decision-making • choosing representatives with interpersonal skills and authority to create effective change • shared authority between university & community

8. Research - Unsuccessful Partnerships Lessons learned from others: • increase student accountability • orientation to partnership should include community members/agency staff as well as students • opportunities should be limited by resources to maximize communication and oversight between community and university • (Ostrander & Chapin-Hogue, 2011)

9. Research - Initiative Examples • Michael Lehman (2007) lists: • Renovation of vacant buildings/lots • Community-friendly university parking • Clear sign markings for navigation • Mutually beneficial zoning • Connect professors/teachers for professional development • Corporate Giving • many corporations have already adopted a community partnership and support model • Education, environment, and economic development (Coca-Cola Foundation, 2012; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; 2012).

10. Student Development Theory • Chickering's Environmental Influences • Clear institutional objectives positively affect student buy-in and engagement • Student Development Programs/Services should focus on whole student, including community engagement • Friendships and student communities encourage student development; can be achieved through student interaction on service projects (Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn, 2010)

11. Student Development Theory • Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Approach • Context: the situation in which interactions between the individual and the environment occur (student/citizens interacting with university/community) • Mesosystems: mid-range, multiple settings that affect students' lives • Community can have just as much of an effect on students as the university. There is value for students in having a supportive community (Evans et al., 2010)

12. Best Practice Model • Yale University • New Haven, Connecticut; est. 1701 • Similarities: location, duration of town/gown affairs • Town/gown best practice model (Schneider, 2008) • Office of New Haven & State Affairs • Office dedicated to develop a thriving New Haven • Partnership between city & university • 5 Focus Areas

13. Office of New Haven & State Affairs • Economic Growth & Fiscal Impact • investment in facilities to spur private interest • voluntary payments to city ($74m since 1990) • Scholarships for New Haven youth • Public Schools & Youth • Literacy Initiatives • Professional Development Opportunities / Teachers • Free dual credit for local high school students • Strong Neighborhoods • Yale University Homebuyer Program • Community development initiatives • Dixwell-Yale Community Learning Center

14. Office of New Haven & State Affairs 4. A Vital Downtown • Event Sponsorship • Open-to-public Yale events, often $0 • Market New Haven: partnered marketing 5. Yale Community Outreach • Free business/management consultations • TreeHaven 10k: plants 10,000 local trees • Volunteer/service programs (Yale, 2013)

15. Solution - Office of Quaintown Affairs • Establish Office of Quaintown Affairs (OQA) • modeled after Yale • address town/gown issues (noise, housing, etc.) • ensure continued community development • hire an OQA Director to set-up, run office • Advisory Council for OQA • Made up of community/university representatives • All members complete ITGA Certificate Program • Develop priority action plan for community projects, development initiatives, etc. • Advise OQA Director

16. Solution: Expected Outcomes from OQA • Facility development • Scholarships • Professional development outreach • Homebuyer Incentive Program • Increased security/cleanup efforts • Community service projects • Environmental initiatives • Residence Life Outreach • Increased student engagement • Student-Led Initiatives for community support

17. Solution - The Campaign • Sunnyvale Loves Quaintown Campaign • Fosters student/faculty/staff buy-in for new Office of Quaintown Affairs • Builds community/university affinity for future projects • Advertisements to Garner Interest: • Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Website) • Website with Resources/Suggestion Box • Public Service Videos • Commercials, Bus Ads • T-shirts, Buttons

18. Solution: Integrating Social Media • To garner student attention, it is essential to bring Social Media into a campaign: • Fast way to release information • Information goes to a wider range of individuals • Students get instant notifications about service opportunities and community concerns • Target information to the younger generations at Sunnyvale University

19. Benefits I Quaintown • Quaintown Publicity • Through the campaign • Word of Mouth • University and Town having one goal=to make Quaintown a better place to live • Increase recruitment for Sunnyvale University • Rebuilding the community • Reputation of Quaintown • Encouraging growth • Fostering the connections with surrounding communities

20. Buy-Ins • To help improve Quaintown and Sunnyvale University • Improve relationship between these groups • Wear a Free T-shirt to promote this relationship • Give back to the community with community service events • Increase Retention & Recruitment of students in this area • Employment: 3 of Massachusetts’ 25 employers are academic institutions (Freeland, 2005).

21. References • Anheuser-Busch Foundation (2012). Login. Anheuser-Busch. Retrieved from https://www. anheuser-busch.versaic.com • Coca-Cola Foundation (2012). Corporate giving. Coca-Cola. Retrieved from http://www.coca-colacompany.com/ • Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Student development in college (2nd ed.).San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Freeland, R.M. (2005). Universities and cities need to rethink their relationships. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/UniversitiesCities-Need/31692/ • Fischer, K. (February 5, 2010). Towns, gowns, and taxes. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 56(21), pA1-A32. Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost.com • Kazee, T. A. (2012). Think Outside the Lunch Box. The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://wwww.chronicle.com • International Town-Gown Association. (2013). The ITGA program in town-gown relations. Certificate Program. Retrieved from http://www.itgau.org/ • Lehman, M. (2007). Walk the line: The town-gown advantage. University Business, September 2007, 80. Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost.com • Marcus, D. (May 24, 1999). Between town and gown. U.S. News & World Report, 126(20), 60-62. Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost.com • Ostrander, N., & Chapin-Hogue, S. (2011). Learning from our mistakes: An autopsy of an unsuccessful university-community collaboration. Social Work Eduation, 30(4), 454-464. Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost.com • Schneider, S. N. (2008). Contributing to a strong new haven. TownGown World. Retrieved from http://www.towngownworld.com/ • Steinkamp, J. (1998). Reshaping town-gown relations. Connection, Spring 98, 24-27. Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost.com • Stevenson, J. M. (1999). Bridging academies and economies for the future: Leadership and partnership for “town and gown” communities. Education, 119(1), 126-129. Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost.com • White, B. P. (2010). Power, privilege, and the public: The dynamics of community-university collaboration. New Directions for Higher Education, 152, 67-74. doi: 10.1002/he.414 • Yale University (2013). Office of new haven and state affairs. Office of New Haven and State Affairs. Retrieved from http://onhsa.yale.edu/