Minnesota Campus Compact 2010-2011 Annual Report

2. A Message from our Board Chair
Power. It isn’t something everyone feels
comfortable claiming. Yet in committing to
civic and community engagement, the
Board of Directors members of Minnesota Campus Compact
recognize that we have not only the capacity,
Sue Collins but the responsibility, to co-create our reality.
President, Northeast Higher
Education District As we educate students, we seek to develop
their courage, confidence and persistence,
Alan Cureton along with their skills and knowledge. As we
President, Northwestern College build and sustain partnerships with our
communities, we strive to build on the assets we each can offer to
Andrew Furco achieve our shared goals. Through this public work, we help
Associate Vice President for Public determine the health of our democracy, our economy, our
Engagement, University of Minnesota neighbors.
Sue Hammersmith Each college or university—and each individual within it—has
President, Metropolitan State power and a particular story. By coming together as Minnesota
University Campus Compact, we both affirm our common purposes and
learn from each other; we celebrate meaningful accomplishments
Jacqueline Johnson and reflect on how we might do even better; we leverage resources
Chancellor, University of Minnesota and demonstrate higher education’s public value. Here at
Morris Augsburg, we call this the work of abundance. In our shared
efforts through Campus Compact, we are modeling a new way of
Julie Manworren being citizens of our democracy.
Executive Director, Simpson Housing
Services Inc. While presenting select highlights from the past year, this report
also invites continued engagement. Our collaborations matter,
John O'Brien whether across sectors, across miles or across the street.
President, North Hennepin
Community College Paul Pribbenow, President, Augsburg College
Earl H. Potter III
President, St. Cloud State University Staff
Meghan Aanenson
Paul Pribbenow (Chair) Administrative and Program Manager
President, Augsburg College
John Hamerlinck
Judith Ramaley Associate Director
President, Winona State University
Lucy Marincel
Mark Zeigler AmeriCorps Promise Fellow
President, Northwestern Health
Sciences University Julie Plaut
Executive Director
Jessica Zha
VISTA Leader College Health Corps

3. 2010-2011 Members
Augsburg College
Bemidji State University/Northwest Technical College
Bethel University
Carleton College
Central Lakes College
Century College
College of St. Benedict
College of St. Scholastica
Concordia College
Concordia University
Globe University/Minnesota School of Business
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hamline University
Inver Hills Community College
Macalester College
Metropolitan State University
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Normandale Community College
North Hennepin Community College
Northeast Higher Education District
Northwestern College
Northwestern Health Sciences University
Ridgewater College
Rochester Community & Technical College
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
St. Catherine University "It is clear there are multiple benefits for
universities to engage in community
St. Cloud State University
building, problem solving and
St. John's University knowledge sharing with their
St. Olaf College communities. . . Students come to St.
South Central College Cloud State for their education, but a
University of Minnesota, Crookston significant part of that education is
University of Minnesota Duluth gained beyond the perimeters of campus
University of Minnesota, Morris - learning how to live responsibly with
neighbors and to make smart choices
University of Minnesota, Rochester
about their lives."
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of St. Thomas — Earl H. Potter III, president of St. Cloud State
William Mitchell College of Law University and Minnesota Campus Compact
Winona State University board member

4. Over 100 low-income and/or
first-generation college
students at five campuses "I benefitted so much from having a cohort that
participate in the Midwest helps each other out, studying together. We're
Campus Compact Citizen- still friends after two years though we're now at
Scholar Fellows program, different colleges. Participating led to my
which has a strong track dream job too."
record in bolstering academic
performance and persistence. — Amanda Lilgreen, Normandale Community College
America Reads/Counts and service-learning
Students who complete the coordinator, former Citizen-Scholar Fellow
program have higher average
GPAs (3.3 vs. 2.8) and stay in
school at higher rates (98% vs.
72%) than non-program Pell
Grant recipients at the same
institutions.
Participants themselves value
the experience; on the last
evaluation, 88% agreed that
the program had a positive
effect on their success as a
student, and 98% reported that
it prepared them for future
success by developing their
skills and connections.

5. With the addition this year of the Students in Service program, which
engages 100 students at seven campuses, twice as many students
are receiving financial assistance, leadership development and service
opportunities, and professional and peer support.
"I am grateful that I am able to be a part of a
program that allows me to make a difference in
my community, while allowing me to be a
student and continue my education. The SIS
program has given me the opportunity to grow
and share my knowledge with the St. Kate's
community. Thanks SIS!"
— Alejandra Gonzalez, student, St. Catherine University
Four campuses hosted our regional forums in fall 2010 highlighting campus-community
partnerships that advance student success and economic vitality.
"I have seen a strong correlation between work done
in [the Cambodia Travel Study Program] and work
after students are back, motivated to expand on what
they’ve done in their fields of study. My experiences
have given me the ability to win scholarships and
pushed me to study economics and development."
— Jordan Wente, student, Rochester Community
and Technical College
"I came here as a freshman but felt disheartened in my third year; I felt
this was a good place and I was learning a lot, but I felt disconnected
and wasn't contributing much, so I considered leaving the university. . .
Then I took my first service-learning course. . . It's really empowering
for students to think that they can write something and have it be
appreciated, have someone besides the professor listen to your
thoughts and take them seriously.
— Laura Weldy, student,
University of Minnesota Morris

6. Over 2,000 people from across the
state and beyond participated in our
professional development workshops
and webinars this year. Topics
included:
Assessing Civic Engagement
Building Cultural Capacity
Citizenship Across the Curriculum
Engaging Men in Service
Engaging Students in Community-
Based Research and Advocacy
Linking Adult Students with
Community
Service-Learning and Social Justice
Service-Learning in Online Courses
“I always find it incredibly Spirituality and Religious Diversity in
energizing to have space, time Civically Engaged Education
and wise colleagues to discuss
these critical issues.” Supporting Youth Success in St.
Paul
— workshop participant
Sustaining Collaborative
Partnerships Between K-12 and
Higher Education
Using Mobile Phones as a Tool for
Civic Engagement
Workshop participants shared their
own experiences and insights while
learning about other models and
resources and generating new ideas.
Most reported gaining new skills,
knowledge, connections, and
intentions for action.

7. "Asking 'what can we do with you?'-
-instead of coming with answers or
just studying the community--is the
key to building trust and
empowerment."
— Nathaniel Khaliq, then-president of the
St. Paul chapter of the NAACP, at the
community-based research workshop
"We can tell the difference between
students that have a service-
learning background and those
who do not. Those that have a
service-learning background know
how to apply their knowledge."
— Stacy Kennedy, regional human
resources manager, vice president,
Bremer Financial Services
Is the glass half-full or half-empty? "The quality of process by which software
is developed has great impact on product
Both -- but research and experience quality. Teams of students in my class
show that an asset-based approach to respond to a community partner's request.
collaborative work is most effective, They start with a vision for the software,
so we focus on what's present, not define the objective and features, then
what's missing. feasibility and risk — all while periodically
checking in with the client. . . . They're
Campus leaders frequently remark on learning lots of technical details, also oral
the value of this approach not only for communication and team development.
their partnerships, but also for their Knowing the client really benefits from this
own efforts to engage students and makes it meaningful."
colleagues.
— Sudharsan R. Iyengar, computer science faculty,
Winona State University

8. The College Health Corps
AmeriCorps VISTA
program supports10 full-
time VISTA volunteers at
sites throughout the state.
These VISTAs create,
improve, expand, or
create campus-
community partnerships
that provide low-income
Minnesotans with greater
access to healthcare
services and health
education.
IMPACT TO DATE
11,480 low-income
people accessed health
care
A few non-College Health Corps examples of campuses
contributing to community health: 14,131 people learned
from health education
Central Lakes College has signed a Memorandum of Understanding programs
with the Brainerd School District through which nursing students
assist with K-12 student health screenings and other efforts 967 people participated in
promoting quality of life. "upstream" health
programs
Bethel University is spearheading the formation of a community-
based coalition to address the social challenges that contribute to 2,880 volunteers have
health inequity in St. Paul and its surrounding communities. served a total of 29,078
hours
Scrubs Camp is a summer program held on the campuses of
Winona State University and Augsburg College. It offers teens the $95,325 in cash and in-
opportunity to participate in hands-on healthcare activities, learn kind resources generated
about health-related careers, and experience living on a college for the partnerships
campus.

9. Community Development
We co-authored a report for
the Rural Alliance for Service-
Learning titled, “The State of
Rural Service-Learning, ”
which featured a case study
about a project by Samantha
Bruno (standing right), a
University of Minnesota, Morris
student who worked with
UMM's Center for Small Towns
and a group of citizens in
Wheaton, to develop a
downtown revitalization plan
for that western Minnesota
community.
Academic Success and Youth Development
Our Collaborating for Change Mini-Grant program supported
eight innovative student-led campus-community partnerships.
One example is the “Courage to Write About
Self” magazine project, led by Carleton College
student Shantrice King (pictured). Carleton
students mentored a group of Faribault high
school girls in publishing a full-length magazine
of articles, learning about various writing styles
and encouraging their self-confidence.

10. Three campuses hosted
"We the People"
workshops introduced
over 100 students to
basic community
organizing skills and
strategies for creating
change. They left
energized and eager to
reach more students.
Their main suggestions "What I liked best was the chance to
for improvement? Make hear from others! To learn from
the workshops longer, their experiences, as well as finding
and integrate the content a way to collaborate with them."
into classes!
— leadership summit participant
Our two-day student
civic leadership
summit attracted
students from 26
different campuses,
mostly from
Minnesota but also
five other states.
The vast majority
reported leaving
better prepared and
empowered to work
on the public issues
that mattered most
to them.

11. Our events are designed to build on the knowledge
that faculty and staff from different campuses offer
each other and to spark the kind of focused
reflection and analysis that can strengthen
partnerships.
New connections and collaborations often happen
at multiple levels. The institutional researchers,
faculty assessment leaders, and civic engagement
practitioners on our Assessment Leadership Team,
for example, planned the two-day workshop on
assessing civic engagement, which was attended
by teams from nine campuses, many of them
comprised of people who had not worked together
before. Follow-up visits to each campus
are involving more colleagues, and feedback from
all involved with shape the resources and
gatherings to come.
Our monthly learning circle of civic engagement
practitioners from Iowa and Minnesota built a
mutually supportive and easily
accessible community for sharing ideas and
resources.
The coaching circle allows you
Our year-end Summit and Awards beneficial time to network and
Luncheon includes a variety of sessions, consult with colleagues in the region
recognition of outstanding leaders from who understand the day to day
around the state, and a conversation among challenges of civic and experiential
presidents and chancellors. education in the central Midwest.
The monthly calls allow you to dig
deeper into various issues, go to
your campus, try out solutions, come
back and assess the development a
month later with peers.
— coaching circle participant
Minnesota Campus Compact supported
collaborative projects in Northfield and in Duluth
that engaged faculty and staff from multiple
campuses in service-learning to address issues
around food security and/or social determinants
of healthy nutrition. These projects are also
intended to increase student interest in science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics.

12. Minnesota Campus Compact is not simply an organization
with a staff, Board of Directors, and member presidents. We
are a network of people--all community members, as well as
students, teachers, administrators, and leaders at colleges
and universities and partner organizations.
We come together around our common commitment to
educating students and building partnerships to develop innovative solutions to pressing public
issues. We advance our vision by practicing high-quality civic and community engagement;
documenting and communicating its value; and providing scholarship and leadership
development opportunities.
Together, we educate informed, active citizens and build stronger, democratic communities--and
we make the case for even deeper integration of public engagement in higher education. You
can contribute to this network and these goals in a number of ways:
Share the stories and results of your civic and community engagement efforts.
Write about the questions that keep you up at night--or the experiences and insights that
inspire you.
Propose, host, or help plan collaborative programs or events.
Speak up about your assets and expertise. Speak up about others' too.
Co-create a leadership team focused on an issue of interest.
Consider a tax-deductible gift to support this work.
We want to thank these generous funders for their support in the last year.
Minnesota Campus Compact | 2211 Riverside Ave. S. | Campus Box 48 | Minneapolis, MN 55454
612-436-2080 | www.mncampuscompact.org