UNC and Communities

As a public university, UNC has a three-part mission: to teach, to research, and to provide public service. Every year, and on every campus, UNC schools are fulfilling the “public service” dimension of that mission in varied ways.

Engagement with the community can take several forms: community-based research combines faculty and community expertise to define and solve the problems and challenges that matter most. Service learning “integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.”i And through activities throughout the system, UNC directs its institutional resources to vital issues in the state, from aging to the environment to improving K-12 education.

In 2010, more than 11,000 UNC students gave over 825,000 hours of their time to local businesses, with thousands more assisting governmental agencies, and non- profit organizations. These experiences ground students’ education in real-world experiences, helping to prepare them for the workforce, while also providing valuable service to our state’s businesses and community organizations.

UNC faculty are also contributing their expertise to local businesses and organizations in both the public and private sector. In 2010, faculty members donated 3,719 hours of consulting services and technical assistance to 248 businesses. In 2010 the School of Government (SOG) at UNC-Chapel Hill provided training and consulting services to more than 12,700 professionals in the public sector. Another 1,190 people completed trainings provided by the Environmental Finance Center and the Civic Education Consortium (both SOG initiatives) in 2010.

Community engagement is about more than just students volunteering their time to help charities or community groups. Sustainable and meaningful community engagement goes two ways: the community benefits from student and faculty service, and students and faculty, in turn, learn from their experiences in the community. This mutually beneficial arrangement is supported formally by a curriculum that has a “service learning” component. All 17 UNC campuses offer courses that include some kind of service learning: courses in everything from business to engineering to elementary education. The Carnegie Foundation awards a “Community Engagement Elective Classification” to college campuses that meet a high standard of community involvement. 11 of our campuses have received this designation since 2006, more than any other system nationally. UNC schools have been recognized nationally for their commitment to public service and community engagement. The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is published each year to recognize institutions that make significant contributions to their communities. 13 UNC campuses have received the honor since the program began in 2006.

14 UNC campuses belong to North Carolina Campus Compact, a statewide engagement organization with 44 member campuses. Representatives from UNC schools have won several awards from Campus Compact in recent years, including the 2001 Robert L. Signmon Service-Learning Award, the 2010 Civic Engagement Professional of the Year Award, and the 2009 Civic Engagement Innovator Award. In 2010, NC State won the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Award from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.

Across the state and beyond, our communities benefit directly from UNC’s public service and engagement activities. Individuals on each campus are recognized through the Board of Governor’s annual Public Service awards. Below are a few examples of what this engagement looks like in practice in each region of the state:

AdvantageWest The Dillsboro Project: WCU’s formal partnership with the nearby town of Dillsboro is multi-faceted and reciprocal: Dillsboro hosts student interns and service learning participants in a variety of business, governmental, non-profit, public relations, and cultural and arts organizations, and WCU faculty, students, and staff provide support for the town’s economic revitalization initiatives. The ongoing project supports economic and community development in Dillsboro and strengthens the campus’s connection to its surrounding community.

Charlotte Regional Partnership Expedited retraining of laid-off financial services workers: In response to widespread layoffs of financial services workers and other highly educated people in the wake of the recession, UNC Charlotte continuing education shortened certificate programs from 18 months to 6 months in high growth job areas, enabling laid-off workers to quickly get skills that positioned them for re-employment.

North Carolina's Eastern Region Engaged research on health disparities: The Center for Health Disparities Research (CHDR) at ECU is an interdisciplinary center devoted to reducing health disparities in Pitt County and the greater eastern North Carolina region, through research; education and training; and collaborative community projects. The Center focuses on disparities in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer among underrepresented and rural populations. Learn more: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/rgs/disparities/ North Carolina's Northeast Commission Promoting conservation and economic growth: Elizabeth City State University is a member of the Albemarle-Pamlico Conservation and Communities Collaborative (AP3C) and has been hosting bi-annual meetings on campus. The AP3C's mission is to develop approaches that integrate economic and ecological resilience for the region; recognize the challenges presented by economic and social distress, climate change, population change, and increasing risks to public health; and implement collaborative, sustainable solutions for regional well- being. Learn more: http://www.ecsu.edu//academics/programs/greencenter/apccc.cfm

North Carolina's Southeast Commission Learning and serving on the Community Campus: Community Campus is a multi- faceted partnership between the Wilmington Housing Authority and UNCW that hosts a variety of service-learning opportunities that benefit students and the WHA communities. The shared space of the Community Campus is a hub for a variety of community resources and service opportunities: sociology students participate in year-long community-based internships and research; education majors (and other students) volunteer in reading, tutoring, and afterschool programs with local kids, and gerontology students engage with seniors in the area. Learn more: http://uncw.edu/dpscs/communitycampusabout.html

Piedmont Triad Partnership Connecting economic development and community learning: The S.G. Atkins Community Development Center works to assure balanced growth and investment in neighborhoods surrounding WSSU. It will soon open the Enterprise Center, a business incubator and community learning center that will include classroom and lab space for WSSU students and the wider community. Students have a chance to contribute to this community development anchor through neighborhood cleanups, volunteer opportunities, a community garden, and more. Learn more: http://www.sgacdc.org/the-enterprise-center/

Research Triangle Regional Partnership Increasing college access and workforce success: The Raleigh Colleges and Community Collaborative (RCCC), a Gates Foundation-funded initiative to increase access and success of low-income, urban youth to higher education and workforce success is a major outreach program to the City of Raleigh. Partners include NC State, the four private colleges and universities in Raleigh, Wake Tech Community College, Wake County Public School System, City and County leadership, and numerous nonprofit, community and business partners. Learn more: http://raleighcollaborative.org/

Statewide Work UNC campuses are managing two multi-community initiatives serving struggling rural communities. UNC Chapel Hill is working with UNC Pembroke and Appalachian State and the NC Rural Economic Development Center on a UNC Tomorrow-inspired project, the Campus Community Partnership, to establish long-term assistance strategies for rural communities in northwestern, central and southeastern North Carolina.

East Carolina is working with the state Division of Community Assistance to provide faculty, staff and student support to towns and communities in eastern North Carolina: the Talent Enhancement Capacity Building Grant program provides technical assistance, training, and $1.3 million in capacity building grants to rural communities. The program began in 2009 with a pilot effort that channeled funding and training to seven distressed, low wealth, and limited capacity areas. Now this successful initiative is expanding to include 14 more communities.

Both projects are marked by a commitment to dialogue with community leaders to ensure universities are meeting real community needs. Learn more: http://www.sog.unc.edu/programs/ccp/; http://www.ecu.edu/cs-admin/news/talentenhancementgrant.cfm i Definition taken from the Corporation for National and Community Service, National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. Available here: http://www.servicelearning.org/what-is-service-learning