The document summarizes a strategic planning meeting at Maryville College to discuss advancing community engagement and community-engaged learning. It includes an agenda with introductions, an overview of strategic visioning and planning, poll questions, and exercises to discuss stakeholder needs, political/economic issues, and national trends. National trends discussed include the impact of COVID-19, increased focus on diversity and racial justice, assessment of student learning through civic engagement rubrics, evidence of community engagement's benefits, ensuring education is student-ready, and addressing civic learning and democratic engagement.
National Trends Affecting Community Engagement and Planning
1. Strategic Planning and Visioning
with Faculty Forum
Maryville College
Sept 23-24, 2021
With Friends from the Bonner Foundation
2. • Introductions (5 min)
• Strategic Visioning & Planning Overview (10 min)
• Poll Questions (10 min)
• Exercise #1 Needs of Stakeholders (15 min)
• Exercise #2 Political, Economic, and Structural Issues (25 min)
• Exercise #3 National Trends and Moment (25 min)
Today’s Agenda
3. Introductions
Liz Brandt (she/hers)
Community Engagement Director, Bonner Foundation
B.A. Anthropology/Sociology and Bonner Scholar, Centre College
M.S. Higher Education, Drexel University
Dr. Ariane Hoy (she/hers)
Vice President, Bonner Foundation
B.A. Political Science, Stanford University
M.S. Higher Education, Drexel University
PhD Higher Education Leadership, University of Pennsylvania
4. Strategic Visioning & Planning
Purpose:
•To facilitate the creation of a 3-5 year vision and strategy for community engagement and community-engaged learning at Maryville College
— with particular focus on developing a strategic plan for its (current and future) centers and campus-wide integration of scaffolded
experiences in community-engaged, experiential learning.
•To carry out a process that is driven and strategically informed by history, place, context, best practices, strengths, and opportunities — and
helps Maryville College advance community engagement in connection with institutional priorities.
•To engage a diverse team of constituents (including senior leaders, staff, faculty, community partners, students, and alumni) in the visioning
and planning process — in ways that empower the team to create and attain a shared vision.
6. Some Helpful Conceptualizations
Working De
fi
nitions for Our Process
Community Engagement (as de
fi
ned by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching and its Community Engagement Classi
fi
cation):
Civic Engagement (as de
fi
ned by the Association of American Colleges and Universities
and its VALUE Rubric):
Community engagement describes collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local,
regional/state, national, global) for the mutually bene
fi
cial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership
and reciprocity.
The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of
the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning;
prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and
contribute to the public good.
Civic engagement is "working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of
knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community,
through both political and non-political processes." (Excerpted from Civic Responsibility and Higher Education, edited by
Thomas Ehrlich, published by Oryx Press, 2000, Preface, page vi.)
In addition, civic engagement encompasses actions wherein individuals participate in activities of personal and public
concern that are both individually life enriching and socially bene
fi
cial to the community.
7. Civic Engagement Rubric
Developed by a team working with the AAC&U
5
Also, especially see rubrics for Civic Knowledge, Connections,
Integrative Learning, Civic Values, and Civic Professionalism, as well as others
8. Your Name
What Do You Teach
How Long You’ve Been Teaching at Maryville
Sharing in the Chat
9. What is your current understanding and experience with community
engagement and community-engaged learning (CEL)?
A. This is my
fi
rst time hearing about it
B. Aware of some terms but very little familiarity
C. Some understanding (i.e. read an article, attended a workshop)
D. Moderate understanding and experience (i.e. attended a few workshops, taught a
CEL course)
E. Signi
fi
cant understanding and experience (participate in communities of practice,
teaches many CEL courses)
F. I consider myself a community-engaged learning professional and advocate (i.e.
held a faculty fellow position, works to change campus structures and policies to
advance CEL)
Poll Question #1
10. What opportunities for community-engaged learning does
your division or department currently have?
A. Not aware of any opportunities
B. A few faculty teach CEL courses
C. We have many opportunities (internships, CEL courses, community-engaged
capstone projects)
D. We have or are in the process building scaffolded opportunities, i.e. pathways
*If you answer D, please share your department name in the chat.
Poll Question #2
11. If you have worked on community
engagement projects (courses, CBR,
volunteering), write the name of your
community partner in the chat.
Sharing in the Chat
14. The Current Moment
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education and community
engagement
• Increased focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and reckoning for racial justice
“The diverse students in the Bonner Program are representative of
today’s undergraduates and a population that institutions of
higher education are seeking to support and graduate. This makes
the success of the Bonner Program especially interesting to
colleges and universities today, offering lessons that may be
replicated across campus” (2019, Bonner Student Impact Survey)
15. Assessment - Measuring Student Learning
• AAC&U VALUE Rubrics (Civic Engagement, Civic Learning, Civic Knowledge,
Integrative Learning, Connections to Discipline)
• Positive Impact on Retention, Completion, Student Success
“I love Bonner because without Bonner I
would not still be at [the college]. Bonner
made my experience memorable and
impactful.” - Bonner Senior
Throughout all of college, the support I received
from Bonner and the program [at my university] has
been amazing and honestly made it possible for me
to graduate.” - Bonner Senior
16. Emerging Evidence for Community Engagement
• LEAP Initiative with 15+ years (NSSE, FSSE, High-Impact Practices)
17. Community Impact - Dif
fi
cult but Aspirational
• Rubrics and Mechanisms for Assessing Courses (Bates, IUPUI, Washburn)
• Demands on Nonpro
fi
ts to Show Value
18. Being Student Ready for Today’s Students
• Link of Community Engagement with Full Participation, Diversity & Inclusion
• Full Participation: Supporting and Engaging Diverse Students, Faculty, & Staff
• Links with High-Impact Practices, Equity, and Inclusive Excellence
"I
fi
nd community-engaged learning work one of the most
powerful forms of pedagogy for my students. I came to a place
like Bates because I enjoy teaching and Bates values teaching.
It's recognizing the strengths of incorporating community
engaged learning components in my pedagogy. It's a no brainer.
I value CEL experiences in terms of how they provide a learning
opportunity for my students. So it'd be crazy not to do it."
- Faculty member at Bates College
“The Bonner Program is having a signi
fi
cant role
in my satisfaction with my campus experience.”
19. National Need for Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement
• Address political learning and polarization; teach deliberative dialogue & citizenship
20. Discussion Questions
What are your reactions to these speci
fi
c
trends at Maryville College, and how they
might be tied to community engagement?
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Institutional Priorities (Academic Outcomes,
Enrollment & Completion)
• Civic Education & Citizenship