Sustaining Successful Civic Engagement- Campus and Community Initiatives

Sustaining Successful Civic Engagement- Campus and Community Initiatives Devorah Lieberman, Ph.D. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Wagner College Devorah.lieberman@wagner.edu Cass Freedland, Ph.D. Director, Center for Leadership and Service Wagner College Cassia.freedland@wagner.edu Pat Tooker Acting Chair, Nursing Department Wagner College ptooker@wagner.edu

Overview of this Webinar: Difficulties in Sustaining Civic Engagement Broadly and Deeply II. Wagner College- Civic Innovations III. Next Steps- Civic Innovations: Port Richmond Partnership IV. Securing campus commitment- Upper Administration, faculty, staff, student

Difficulties in Sustaining Civic Engagement Broadly and Deeply • Community • Agencies do not know developmental/academic level of students • Agencies do not know if/when/how long/which students are coming • Agencies do not know expectations of institution • Campus • Faculty do not always teach same courses • Student participation episodic • Individual faculty commitment/not departmental • Do not have on-going connection with agency

Common Pitfalls for Both Institution and Agency: • Lack of communication prior to the term beginning • Lack of communication during the term • Lack of communication after the term ends • Lack of ongoing communication between terms

Students Most Common Frustrations: • Do not know how the civic engagement activity connects to the course content • Do not know what is expected from the professor or the agency • There is not enough follow up or reflection in the agency or in the class • There is not understanding of purpose

Institutional Pitfalls: • The institutional administration says that civic engagement is important but does not support the process • The faculty participate but do not have the financial or the developmental support • The promotion and tenure process does not recognize this work

How Wagner College Addressed these Issues, Frustrations and Pitfalls: • Upper Administration with two academic departments (Nursing and Political Science) designed a model that: • Created “Community Connected Departments” • Created “Department Connected Agencies” • Created on going and consistent student placement with agencies • Created deeper student commitment to civic engagement and civic leadership

How Wagner College Addressed these Issues, Frustrations and Pitfalls: (Continued) • Increased trust and respect between Community Connected Departments and Department Connected Agencies • Embedded these activities into the promotion and tenure process • Received funding from Learn & Serve added legitimacy

T H E W A G N E R P L A N WAGNER'S MISSION: Wagner College prepares students for life, as well as for careers, by emphasizing scholarship, achievement, leadership, and citizenship. Wagner offers a comprehensive educational program that is anchored in the liberal arts, experiential and co-curricular learning, interculturalism, interdisciplinary studies, and service to society, and that is cultivated by a faculty dedicated to promoting individual expression, reflective practice, and integrative learning. - Approved by the Trustees and the Faculty, May 2003

T H E W A G N E R P L A N • Throughout the undergraduate Wagner Plan the emphasis is on interdisciplinarity- reflection- experiential learning/civic engagement

T H E W A G N E R P L A N and Civic Engagement The overriding question became: “How can Wagner College, through the Wagner Plan, serve the Staten Island community more effectively?”

Existing Community Need- At-Risk Youth Staten Island youth are in crisis: • 16% drop-out rate • One-fourth of all city youth (16-24 years old) remain unemployed • Over 200,000 youth (16-24 years old) do not attend any educational institution • Youth from low-income families most at-risk for non-completion

At-Risk Youth: The adolescents that are documented and considered “at-risk”. Staten Island is the only borough in NYC where juvenile crime rates are escalating: • Substance abuse • Gambling • Graffiti • Gang involvement

At-Risk Youth: This population is also vulnerable to poor health outcomes: • Teen pregnancy • STD’s • Smoking/Alcohol Use • Obesity/Eating Disorders • Trauma/Unintentional injuries

At-Risk Youth: Many more undocumented youth have a cultural divide preventing full access to community resources

Civic Innovations was created to: • More effectively address the needs of Staten Island youth • Create ongoing opportunities for students • Meet the needs of the agencies • Engage the campus more broadly and more deeply • Increase the students’ commitment to civic engagement • Engage students from freshman through senior years • Create continuity and consistency in agencies from semester to semester • Provide greater opportunities for faculty scholarship, service to the institution, and embedding civic engagement into pedagogy and student learning

Civic Innovations- the Building Blocks: Two Components: • Curricular • Community Connection

Curricular One “Community Connected Department” + One “Department Connected Agency” = Three-Year Partnership Add 2 additional departments each year (6 academic departments over 3 years)

Curricular Faculty in one department + Department Connected Agency Courses with learning outcomes in the discipline and connected to youth and community needs. Four courses spanning the frosh through senior year levels (within a major).

Department-Community • Community Connected Departments • Department Connected Agencies • Nursing • Business • Political Science • Education • History • Sociology/Anthropology • United Activities Unlimited • YMCA • Project Hospitality • New York City Public Schools (on Staten Island) • African Refuge Center/ PS 57 • Community Health Action

Example: Nursing Department- United Activities Unlimited • Freshmen- Tutoring after school at PS 18 (UAU school) • Sophomores- Community Health assessment with nurses in UAU associated schools • Juniors- Health programs in schools associated with UAU • Seniors- Health clinics in UAU related schools (underserved areas)

Curricular – Year 1 Example: Nursing – United Activities Unlimited (UAU) Tutoring in an After School Program-Student Reflection: “Before I went to PS 18, I thought experiential learning was just going to be a job where I went, basically, because I had to. I just wanted to clock-in and clock-out as fast as possible. However, when I went to PS 18 my thoughts about the experience were COMPLETELY altered. I had such a great time and really connected with the kids. Now I realize that experiential learning is…for me to impact the lives of these kids…and is also for them to, in turn, impact me.”

Civic Innovations Support Wagner Center for Leadership and Service • Seminars • Summer Symposia • Publications • Community-based research • Links College and community • Faculty Development

Civic Innovations Assessment • Faculty Interviews • Community partner interviews • Student interviews • Student focus groups • Observations of students in community settings • Review of student work samples • Interviews with Wagner College administrative staff • Student surveys

Results To Date A majority of students reported: • * More comfortable in diverse communities. • * A stronger sense of personal responsibility. • * Their community-based experiences should be a standard part of college course work. • * 62% of students report their CI experience helped them understand course content and apply knowledge to address community issues. • * 78% of students report they believe community based experiences should be a standard part of college course work.

Results To Date (Continued) • * 70% of CI students report that community experience helped them learn effective communication strategies in community settings. • * 58% of CI students reported that the community experience helped them become more comfortable with diverse communities. • * 58% of CI students report that they are more able to engage in community problem solving as a result of their community experience. • * 64% of CI students report having a stronger sense of personal responsibility for the health of youth on SI. • * 46% of CI students reported volunteering prior to the community based course experience. • * 55% of CI students report that they will continue to work in the community after this community connected course experience.

Next Phase-Civic Innovations: Port Richmond Partnership • Community Connected Departments • Department Connected Agencies • One geographic region in need • Topical neighborhood needs • Assessment • Sustainability

Securing Campus Commitment- Upper Administration, Faculty, Staff, Student • Upper Administration- Help design, support financially, support in promotion and tenure • Faculty- Connect to discipline, help design, include in promotion and tenure • Staff- Help design, connect to professional portfolio • Student- Help design, connect to academics, provide purpose

Sustaining Civic Engagement Community University Partnerships • Critical Elements: • Administrative-Faculty-Community Partner collaboration • Engage Community Connected Departments • Engage Department Connected Agencies • Linking Community Outcomes (identified by community members) with Student Learning Outcomes (identified by course faculty) • Faculty Development • Consistent ongoing communication between departments-agencies-administration • Expect the unexpected, have humor, have patience, be well intentioned

NSLC Resources Faculty Toolkit for Service-Learning in Higher Education (Learn and Serve America’s National Service-Learning Clearinghouse) http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=7120 Hot Topic: Sustainability / Institutionalization (Learn and Serve America’s National Service-Learning Clearinghouse) http://www.servicelearning.org/page/index.php?detailed=326 Institutional Structures for Service-Learning In Higher Education (Learn and Serve America’s National Service-Learning Clearinghouse) http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/he_facts/inst_structure/ Look for the link to the recording of this webinar as well as future podcasts on the Higher Education Sector Page: http://www.servicelearning.org/hehome/index.php

Other Resources Lasting Engagement: Building and Sustaining a Commitment to Community Outreach, Development, and Collaboration -- Springfield College http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/?library_id=5120 SAFE Models of Civic Engagement: Sustaining Service Learning http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/?library_id=7444 Scholarship for Sustaining Service-Learning and Civic Engagement http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/?library_id=8244 Strategies for Creating an Engaged Campus: An Advanced Service-Learning Toolkit for Academic Leaders http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=8525 Sustaining Civic Engagement: Faculty Development, Roles, and Rewards http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=7799

Sustaining Successful Civic Engagement- Campus and Community Initiatives