Criterion Five Engagement and Service
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CRITERION FIVE ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICE ne of the core values of Washburn university and assist in ensuring state-wide coordination University affirms the university’s of higher education. Service in community and dedication to its role in the professional organizations by faculty and staff provides community, being “closely informal venues to identify such opportunities. engaged with the community Obeyond the campus, providing services and The composition of the WBOR broadly mirrors the outreach activities that enhance the social interests of the community and the state. As noted in and economic vitality of the region.” the Introduction, members are appointed by elected authorities or representative bodies, including the In support of this core value, the university works with governor, the mayor of Topeka, the Shawnee County business and industry, health care providers, government, Commission, and the Kansas Board of Regents. The social agencies, civic organizations, and public schools WEA Board of Trustees is comprised of some of providing service to and engagement with the greater Washburn’s most talented and respected donors and Topeka community in a variety of ways. Through leaders; this board has a diverse national perspective. volunteer efforts in service organizations and professional The Washburn Alumni Association reaches out to support of area businesses, Washburn University approximately 31,000 alumni living in all 50 states and students, faculty, and staff enhance the community in several foreign countries. Alumni provide valuable which they live and study. feedback on external needs and how Washburn can meet those needs. The university president, the vice Earlier criteria focus on Washburn’s responsiveness and president for academic affairs, and other staff service to internal constituencies, so this chapter will focus participate in meetings of the Kansas Board of Regents, mainly on external constituencies. Curricular and the coordinating board of all postsecondary institutions cocurricular activities that provide significant examples of in Kansas. Through their participation, Washburn engagement and service will be addressed. University is aware of the educational initiatives occurring throughout postsecondary education in CORE COMPONENT 5a Kansas, allowing Washburn to contribute to these The organization learns from the educational initiatives as well. constituencies it serves and analyzes its capacity to serve their needs and Washburn Alumni Association reaches out expectations. to approximately 31,000 alumni in all 50 states and several foreign countries. Washburn University utilizes and analyzes community input to determine whether the needs of external constituencies are being met. Washburn is involved with area agencies on many community initiatives, including art, cultural affairs, COMMUNITY INPUT business development, community planning, and Washburn uses formal institutional structures and neighborhood development, so the university is able to informal mechanisms to obtain community input. identify community needs and respond to them with Formal structures, such as the Washburn Board of appropriate programming. Noteworthy partnerships Regents (WBOR), the Washburn Endowment between the university and the community include service Association (WEA) Board of Trustees, the Washburn to the national crime reduction program (Weed and Seed), Alumni Association, and the Kansas Board of Regents, United Way, American Red Cross, Topeka Chamber of provide regional, national, and global perspectives on Commerce, Go Topeka, Friends of Mulvane, and Friends potential service and engagement opportunities for the of Mabee Library. www.washburn.edu/selfstudy 103 CRITERION FIVE ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICE ANALYSIS Although participation of faculty and staff in Although the advisory boards primarily provide community organizations provides a venue for advice on curricular issues, their input is also used to determining community needs, no formal surveys determine how the university can partner with the of external entities have been conducted to determine community. As a result of input from these advisory if Washburn is meeting the needs of the community boards, a number of initiatives have been implemented due to the complexities of the task. In addition, there on campus. Examples include the mobile health clinic, is no formal mechanism for staff to report their the Associated Topeka Libraries Automated System participation in community organizations as Washburn (ATLAS), and the Mulvane Art Outreach program. representatives. Community input and a formal needs analysis process SUMMARY may result in the implementation of new programs. Significant examples of this process are the sonography Strengths certificate program, the master’s in nursing, and the Washburn University offers a wide array of educational Small Business Development Centers (SBDC). These programs, services, and resources to the community. programs were created based on community demand, Based on analysis of community needs, appropriate which was validated through an internal review programs have been created. These programs are process. Ongoing support of community-based consistent with one of the university’s core values to be programs demonstrates both capacity for and “closely engaged with the community beyond the commitment to one of Washburn’s core values, to campus, providing services and outreach activities that be an educational resource for the region. enhance the social and economic vitality of the region.” The Division of Continuing Education uses a variety Challenges and Opportunities of methods for assessing the professional development Although anecdotal information suggests community needs within the community and for evaluating the needs are being met, formal data has not been collected quality of its training and education programs. These from constituencies to determine effectiveness due to methods include post-program evaluation, advisory the complexities of gathering such data. committee consultation, client training needs analyses, literature review, attendance at professional meetings, CORE COMPONENT 5b instructor meetings, surveys, and consultants. As a result The organization has the capacity and the of this assessment, Continuing Education has developed commitment to engage with its identified a series of workshops for members of the community. constituencies and communities. Analysis of the NSSE data identifies a potential concern Washburn University is proud of its unique position as with the level of community service or volunteer work the only remaining municipal institution. A significant by Washburn students. However, the recently created component of the character of a municipal institution is Learning in the Community (LinC): The Center for engagement with the community. Informally, this Community Service and Civic Engagement and the character is demonstrated by the mix of campus and community service component of the Washburn community participants at events such as lectures, Transformational Experience will provide additional poetry and fiction readings, theater performances, opportunities for students to participate in such concerts, and sports events. Formally, this engagement activities. The impact on Washburn students who have is demonstrated through a planning process committed participated in existing service initiatives is positive. to engagement and service, through support structures, through processes and resources devoted to community 104 Washburn University CRITERION FIVE ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICE service, and through cocurricular and curricular funds for projects that will benefit a variety of external programs engaged with external constituents. constituencies. These projects include: the Kansas Institute for Politics (state and local government), the PLANNING PROCESS COMMITTED TO renovation of the football stadium and the addition of ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICE a pavilion, the renovation of Lee Arena, the renovation Washburn’s Strategic Planning: 2007 and Beyond of the Planetarium and Observatory, the renovation of brochure identifies enhancing community service the Mulvane Art Museum, the renovation of White programs including outreach as a priority. The Concert Hall, and endowed lecture series. majority of programs discussed throughout this criterion, such as KTWU, the Sunflower Music CAPACITY FOR SERVICE AND Festival, and LinC, receive at least partial support ENGAGEMENT annually from Washburn’s general fund. As such, these Washburn is proud of the myriad of activities that are programs are a part of the annual budgeting process for taking place at the institution. The Washburn University new and sustaining funds, reflecting the institution’s website has been designed to provide constituent ongoing commitment to these initiatives. communities with information about these events. The university has created offices to facilitate service and In support of its core value of serving as an educational resource for the community, Washburn University has created opportunities for various sectors of the population to participate in academic classes with significant tuition reductions or tuition waivers. Each semester the university invites senior citizens to take advantage engagement and provides a single point of access to both of Washburn's academic offerings through the over-65 internal and external constituencies. Facility reservation audit program. Kansas residents who are 65 and over is now almost exclusively handled