Program consultants Jo-Anne Sipple (left) of Bay Path College (MA) and Kelly Ward (center) of Washington State University discussed how participants in the Engaging program could plan their partnerships for the future, during a session at the final conference. Gretchen Fairley of Chatham College (PA) (right) looks on.

Participants in CIC’s Engaging Communities and Campuses Program met over four days in February 2003 in Miami, FL, to take account of activities to date and develop ways to strengthen and sustain their engagement work after the grant program ended in June.
     This was the program’s third and final conference. Keynote speaker Robert Hogner, associate professor of management and international business at Florida International University, spoke to participants about his experiences as a union organizer and directing a program to feed the homeless in Miami. He challenged Engaging grantees to find “what is going on out there that will morph these activities into new programs. What really counts is keeping your eyes on longer term goals.”
     Plenary sessions included project updates, as well as a special invitational workshop for faculty development coordinators facilitated by Edward Zlotkowski, who spoke of the need to impress upon faculty members and colleagues that “service learning is a form of scholarship.” Concurrent sessions provided the opportunity for community/ campus partnerships to make their own presentations. The goal at these sessions was to share grantee knowledge and expertise on the following topics: “Reflective Practices,” “Increasing Community Benefits From Partnering With Higher Education,” “Moving Forward With Community Engagement in Fiscally Tight Times,” and “Strengthening the Educational Institution and Community Connections with Engagement.”
     The conference allowed time for teams to develop and refine their plans for the continuation of their partnership. Community representatives who had attended a focus group in Washington, DC in September 2002 that sought their perspectives on partnerships with higher education institutions had the opportunity to convene and review a draft of a brochure based on the focus group discussion (see Disseminating Information and Findings).

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Last updated: March 2003
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