Developing Partnerships between Universities and 21CCLC Programs

1
Developing Partnerships between Universities and
21CCLC Programs

• Philadelphia Higher Education Network for
  Neighborhood Development (PHENND)
• Hillary Aisenstein, Director
• January 11, 2005

2
Presentation Goals

• Help 21CCLCs explore potential collaborations
  with Institutions of Higher Education
• Expand and improve service delivery through
  strategic university-school-community partnerships

3
Presentation Overview

• Review models of university-school-community
  collaboration
• Discuss benefits and challenges to such a
  partnership
• Review strategies for approaching a potential
  higher ed partner

4
History of University/21CCLC Collaboration

• University of Pennsylvania an early pioneer in
  the development of university-assisted community
  school model
• 21CCLC program derived from community school
  concept
• For a reference, review Universities Community
  Schools Journal

5
History of University/21CCLC Collaboration

• University assistance can occur in several key
  ways
• Student volunteers to help deliver programs (i.e.
  5 undergraduates run a homework help club for 6th
  graders)
• Faculty and administrative expertise lent to
  build capacity (i.e. Biology professor helps
  design curriculum and train teachers for
  after-school science club or Community Service
  Director trains 21CCLC staff on how to manage
  volunteers)
• Physical resources such as science labs, athletic
  facilities, auditoriums, and museums might be
  shared
• Research and Evaluation (i.e. students and/or
  faculty help you better assess your results as a
  program or provide expert assessment of
  individual students)

6
History of University/21CCLC Collaboration

• Key enabling policies and legislation
• Federal Work Study program
• 7 of all work study funds must go to community
  service work study
• 21CCLC site may be obligated to pay 25 of
  students wages (approx. 500 per year per
  student)
• No 25 with some Title III campuses and with
  America Reads/America Counts programs
• AmeriCorps Education Awards
• College students perform 450 hours of service
  over 1 year and earn 1250 for college

7
History of University/21CCLC Collaboration

• Movement toward greater community partnership
• Growth of Service-Learning
• Town-Gown relationships

8
Benefits to Higher Ed partnership

• Increased capacity
• Access to new information, programming,
  researched best practices
• Access to other physical assets of the campus
• Your students access to college role models
• Long-standing institutional partner
• Access to new grant funding

9
Challenges to Higher Ed partnership

• Institutional culture clash
• Differing expectations that are not fully dealt
  with at formation of partnership
• Differing sense of time frame
• Different semester schedules
• Little fish in a big pond syndrome
• Grant funding driving higher ed agenda
• Volunteer management is a job
• Socio-economic differences

10
How to start a partnership

• Contact the right person
• Community Service Office
• Service-Learning
• Experiential Learning
• Co-ops/Internships/Career Office
• Academic Departments (Education, Social Work,
  Business)
• Community Relations
• Student Activities
• Penn State Cooperative Extension
• 4-H
• Family and Consumer Science

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How to start a partnership

• Start small
• Take the time to plan
• Dont say yes just because
• Consider a Memorandum of Understanding be clear
  with your expectations
• Offer carrot of supervised student employment
• Do your research
• Search for colleges in your county

12
Lets Dream Big

• What might a university-community-school
  partnership look like at your school?
• Brainstorm ideas for Digital Miracles program

13
Contact Info

• Hillary Aisenstein
• Director
• PHENND
• 3451 Walnut Street, Suite P-117
• Philadelphia, PA 19104-6205
• 215-573-2379
• hillarya_at_pobox.upenn.edu
• http//www.upenn.edu/ccp/PHENND.html