2004 Annual Report

[download Word file]

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

-President's Office: Throughout the year, COPE has been asked to assist the President's Office in a variety of ways in implementing the goal of an Engaged University as outlined in his workplan.

-Presidential Initiatives: Public Engagement is included as a dimension in all eight Presidential Interdisciplinary Initiatives, which President Bruininks launched this year as a distinctive feature of his administration. COPE is exploring with leaders of these Initiatives how to coordinate our efforts in order to recognize, communicate, and assess their public impact.

-Accountability Report: Through the efforts of John Ziegenhagen, Director of Institutional Accountability, a section on Public Engagement is now included in the University's Accountability Report for the Board of Regents, which assures its salience as a criterion of institutional performance.

-Compact Process: Through the efforts of Al Sullivan, Executive Associate Vice President, a separate category of Outreach and Civic Engagement is now included in the annual Compact Process, which is a major step in recognizing engaged activities as an integral part of the faculty's professional work and an explicit aspect of every unit's institutional responsibilities.

-College Liaisons: The appointment this year by the deans and chancellors of College Liaisons, coordinated by Vice Provost for Research Vic Bloomfield, establishes an important institutional link that connects COPE more directly with collegiate and other units in addressing issues of Public Engagement, such as communicating examples of each unit's engaged activities, nominating candidates for various awards, developing appropriate measures for assessing the impact of Public Engagement, and instituting effective incentives and rewards for engaged work.

-Seed Grants: Through a highly competitive process coordinated by Vice Provost Craig Swan, eighteen Seed Grants were awarded for innovative projects that integrate public scholarship, civic learning, and community partnerships; that are multi-disciplinary in approach with multi-unit participation; that involve undergraduate students, graduate students, or RAs; that are sustainable with long-term impact and institutional support; or that meet other criteria for strengthening Public Engagement across the University.

-U of M Portal: Through the efforts of Vice Provost Billie Wahlstrom, COPE is being launched as a news channel on the U of M Portal that will feature stories about engaged work submitted by the College Liaisons. Other elements of a comprehensive communications strategy include developing a database featuring engaged activities of faculty, staff, and students; working with the Campus Community Coordinators Alliance (CCCA) to launch an aggregated website that will have a news channel on the U of M Portal; developing a "Guest Log-In" process and fact sheet for community partners to log in to the U of M Portal to find the resources they need from the U of M; and working with University Relations to feature Public Engagement events and stories on the U of M homepage, University BRIEF, and the U of M Portal.

-U of M Homepage: COPE is now identified as a key link from the Community Connections section on the U of M homepage.

-COPE Website: Through the efforts of Program Manager Sue Engelmann, the COPE website, which is a project management site that aggregates civic and public engagement work at the U of M, is updated weekly.

-Electronic Newsletter: A nationally distributed bimonthly electronic newsletter sponsored by COPE is produced by Humphrey Institute Fellow and Steering Committee member Harry Boyte that features civic/public engagement activities at the U of M.

-Engaged Departments: Several initiatives aim to incorporate Public Engagement more explicitly in departmental practices for recruitment of new faculty, annual merit reviews, and criteria for promotion and tenure. This was the theme for a May 6 discussion among department chairs convened by Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Development Joe Massey with the participation of President Bob Bruininks.

-Faculty Development: A daylong workshop was organized to strengthen faculty skills in community research and work.

-Community Engagement Scholar Program: Through the efforts of Vice Provost Craig Swan and Director of CCLC Laurel Hirt, the Council of Undergraduate Deans and the Senate Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP) have approved this program to recognize by transcript notation and other acknowledgements students with significant involvement in community service/service learning. Further implementation of the program is proposed for next year.

-Undergraduate Initiative for Student Development and Civic Leadership, and Student Experience Outcomes: A working group of faculty, staff, and students lead by Associate Vice Provost, Gerald Rinehart is developing strategies for increasing student engagement and incorporating key student experience outcomes as part of the "skills for effective citizenship and life-long learning." Discussion of these outcomes is being included in the freshman orientation program and will be included in the Fall '04 Gopher Guide. Through the efforts of Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs Jerry Rinehart, the civic leadership initiative is being incorporated within the broader framework of student learning.

-Minnesota Campus Compact: The U of M contributed to the "Minnesota Campus Compact Civic Engagement Study" (completed Fall, '03) that developed indicators to assist campuses in assessing their civic engagement. Through the efforts of Vice Provost Craig Swan a 10th anniversary video was produced for the Carter Partnership Award Event (Spring, '04) that featured Ron Aminzade, Professor and Chair of the Sociology department.

-University Partnerships: A study of five long-lasting, successful University partnerships yielded important lessons for how such partnerships are conducted and what they achieve, including a key finding that successful partnerships reverse the trend toward "privatization" of public universities. Successful partnerships create publics by developing civic capacities and civic identities, they generate public wealth, they tap new resources, they create public spaces, and they develop shared governance and sustained relationships.

-Public Forums: COPE co-sponsored two University-wide forums, on "The University and Engaged Research: What Matters," moderated by Senior Vice President Robert Jones, and on “Celebrating Community Partnerships”. The first featured remarks by David Mathews, President of the Kettering Foundation, and highlighted the public dimensions of the new Presidential Interdisciplinary Initiatives; the second featured impressive examples of community partnerships that also produce public scholarship and civic learning.

-Communicator's Forum: Several members of COPE participated in a presentation to the Communicator's Forum on "Public Engagement: Getting the Most from Our Good News," for the purpose of discussing how Public Engagement can be incorporated as a theme in communicating with the broader public.

-Provost's Outstanding Community Service Award: Five nominees were recommended for this Award by a selection committee chaired by Vice Provost for Faculty Development Joe Massey. For the first time, College Liaisons were asked to help identify likely candidates, a practice we propose to continue.

-Mary McEvoy Award for Outstanding Service: One graduate student and one professional student were recommended for this Award which is presented under the auspices of GAPSA with participation by COPE.

-CIC Committee on Public Engagement: This committee, which was established initially at the instigation of then Provost Bob Bruininks and includes Vice Provost for Research Vic Bloomfield as representative from the U of M, communicates relevant information and fosters initiatives throughout the CIC institutions. The committee has developed a definition of civic engagement that is broadly accepted across CIC institutions, which will enable institutions to measure themselves according to a common yardstick.

-COPE Performance Scorecard: Through the efforts of John Ziegenhagen, a performance scorecard has been developed which enables COPE to summarize previous recommendations and current accomplishments in a convenient table. The scorecard is attached as Appendix A.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations for future COPE activities fall into three categories: (a) continuation of ongoing successful programs; (b) implementation of new programs that are now underway; and (c) initiation of additional new activities.

Continuation of Ongoing Successful Programs

-Organizational Structure: continue COPE's current organizational structure based on five work-groups for Communication, Recognition, Partnerships, Innovations, and Assessment. This organization of COPE has been working well and is the basis for the accomplishments listed above.

-Seed Grants: continue the Seed Grant program, which has been having a widespread long-term impact in strengthening Public Engagement across the University

-Community Service Awards: continue COPE's involvement with the Outstanding Community Service Awards and the Mary McEvoy Outstanding Service Awards

-Public Forums: continue sponsorship and co-sponsorship of forums on campus and with community partners to share experiences and encourage engaged work

-Campus Compact: continue coordination of University initiatives with Campus Compact programs

-CIC Committee on Public Engagement: continue active participation in CIC Public Engagement initiatives

Implementation of New Programs Now Underway

-Presidential Initiatives: follow up with leaders of Presidential Initiatives to coordinate communication, recognition, and assessment of Initiatives' public dimensions

-Compact Process: follow up to see how different units respond to the Outreach/Civic Engagement criterion in the Compact instructions, including how Engagement is defined in different units

-College Liaisons: clarify with College Liaisons their roles in supporting COPE and other engaged initiatives across the University

-Undergraduate Engagement: implement transcript notation, Community Engagement Scholar Program, Undergraduate Initiative for Student Development and Civic Leadership, and related efforts to strengthen engaged activities among undergraduates

-Accessibility: continue and expand efforts to make the University more accessible to external publics and constituencies

-Community Partnerships: disseminate lessons from successful partnerships to encourage and strengthen community partnerships in units across the University

-Engaged Departments: continue and expand efforts to encourage departments to discuss and adopt practices that strengthen their engaged work

Additional Initiatives

-Alumni Association: develop ties to the Alumni Association through participation in the Legislative Network, providing non-credit modules on topics of high public interest, and other activities

-Accreditation Process: contribute to the University's accreditation process, especially through developing appropriate measures for assessing the public impact of engaged activities

-Engaged University Day: organize a major event for Spring, '05, featuring the Presidential Initiatives, community partnerships, and other contributions to the public good

CONCLUSION

This year COPE made significant progress under its general charge to incorporate Public Engagement as an institutional priority and strengthen a culture of engagement throughout the University. Practical steps were taken in addressing each of our major themes. Public Engagement is being institutionalized in important ways at the central level, through connections with collegiate and other units, and in the new Presidential Initiatives. A major priority is to embed Public Engagement more deeply at the departmental level as a criterion affecting recruitment, evaluation, and promotion and tenure. In the upcoming accreditation process, we expect that the University's initiatives in this area will be recognized as a source of institutional strength.