University of New Mexico Megan Chibanga Jandea Dickson Matt Makofske CASE STUDY COMPETITION 2013

University of New Mexico

Megan ChibangaJandea DicksonMatt Makofske

CASE STUDY COMPETITION 2013

UNM: Chibanga, Dickson, Makofske

RelationshipCampus HappeningsStrategy

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Case Study Competition 2013 2

UNM: Chibanga, Dickson, Makofske 3

Sunnyvale University was established in the mid-1800s, and has since encroached on the New England community it’s nestled in.

More recently the expansion has frayed the once symbiotic relationship, but the relationship has become more one sided, swayed to the university getting more than they’re giving.

STRAINED TOWN/GOWN RELATIONSHIP

• Town/Gown• Campus

Happenings• No Strategy

OVERVIEW

Case Study Competition 2013


Student Activity Issues There are late night parties which are

disrupting the community, though it is unclear if these are happening in the graduate town housing; off campus housing, or on campus student housing.

Weekends see students wandering around town, to the dismay of the townspeople.

Sestercentennial Celebration Alumni increased the already abundant

university presence within the town. This was the proverbial straw that broke the

camel's back, and caused a meeting between town & gown.

CAMPUS HAPPENINGS



OVERVIEW



Neither party has worked individually or together to create a cohesive long term plan for the relationship, and how both can contribute to the growth and success of the other.

There is little agreement about what the plan should be amongst the town and the university, thus the need for the committee, with representatives from both arenas to come to a conclusion.

NO COHESIVE STRATEGY



OVERVIEW



CommitteeSolutionPresentation

OBJECTIVES



Per the objectives outlined by the President, to us, the Dean of Students, we are to form a committee. The committee must include the:Director of Residence Life (provided)

This will be critical to initiating the solutions to the student conduct issues that seem to be arising out of the variety of housing situations on and off campus.

Director of Student Activities This fosters the discussion about what students

have to do on the weekends to be engaged.Deputy Mayor

This must be a two-way solution, so the involvement of the Deputy Mayor will be essential to a cohesive and long term solution.

COMMITTEE FORMATION

• Committee• Solution• Presentation

OBJECTIVES



Using the “Mars Group” approach (CITATION), we have invited the following additional people: Student Body President

Students must buy into the solution, and since the solution will eff ect them, they should be included in the process.

Chamber of Commerce Representative Local businesses consistently benefit from the students,

so their interest should be included. University Senate Representative

Faculty support and buy in will be important in the long term culture change of the town/gown relationship as their presence is more lasting than that of the students.

K-12 School Board President They should serve a dual role, both to understand the

relationship of the university and town, as well an ability to provide insight into the community perspective on community/school relations.

COMMITTEE FORMATION


OBJECTIVES



Broadly, we suggest a long term strategic plan focused around the ideas of boundary spanning. At its heart, boundary spanning is art of relationship development, it is the mediation of expectations between the sides being spanned – boundary spanning does the tough work of finding common ground between groups (Hallinger & Murphy, 1986, p. 344).

But, more on that, and how to incorporate social media, later.

SOLUTIONS


OBJECTIVES



As directed by the President, we plan for the following to be present to hear a more detailed plan for rebuilding the symbiotic relationship between Sunnyvale University and the surrounding community:

University Board

University President

Town Council

Community Members

PRESENTATION


OBJECTIVES



ConnectionsTrustRelationship

DETAILED SOLUTION



This relationship cannot be fi xed immediately, but with time and energy on both eff orts over the next 5-7 years, we believe the following is possible:Years 1-2: Establish Connections

Defining & Hiring of a Boundary Spanner Assessment of current programs & opportunities

Make small, but meaningful, adjustments based on findings

Years 2-3: Build Trust Creation of “seats” for both parties at both tables Development of plans & programs for

improvementYears 3-7: Ongoing Two-Way Relationship

Implementation of improved plans & programs Development of future action plans

PLAN OVERVIEW

• Connections• Trust• Relationship

s

DETAILED SOLUTION



We believe boundary spanning must begin at the foundational level of establishing connections.To begin, Boundary spanners must fi rst

learn the language of the other side and be able to use it with them, second they must develop a trust between both units that each will act in both units’ best interests, and lastly they must fi nd a shared understanding or “common persuasion” to guide action (Corey, 1944, p. 336).

In order for this relationship to work and generate mutual benefi t, the boundary spanner is the single most pivotal piece in this puzzle.

ESTABLISH CONNECTIONS:IDENTIFY BOUNDARY

SPANNER


s

DETAILED SOLUTION



ESTABLISH CONNECTIONS: HIRING A BOUNDARY

SPANNER


s

DETAILED SOLUTION Boundary Spanner

We believe this person should be a hired person, or an adjustment to responsibilities, and should be housed within the President’s offi ce of the University. They should be the bridge between the town and gown, and that should be the primary focus of their day to day duties.

Duties The Community Relations Coordinator (boundary

spanner) will be responsible for representing the University at Town Council meetings, Chamber of Commerce meetings, as well as any other major community functions.

They should also be the connector within the university for all efforts relating to the plan to improve the town/gown relationship. This provides a consistent face and the chance for a truly holistic and cohesive effort toward improvement.



Housing A review of student conduct polices and procedures

should be scheduled to address the issues of parties that are effecting the community.

An assessment of campus housing available should be conducted to determine if availability and need match, or is there an imbalance?

Student Activities A review of the activities and programs provided to

student should be done to determine if there is an appropriate quantity, quality, and kind of programs being offered for students to take part in.

Based on preliminary results, adaptations should be made to provide for immediate alleviation of students meandering through town on the weekend. We would suggest an increase in community service and action programs, which provide both an opportunity for students to be involved as well as a chance for the town to be improved.

ESTABLISH CONNECTIONS: PROGRAM ASSESSMENT


s

DETAILED SOLUTION



Collaboration requires participants “problem solve constructively” together, something that is possible once there are trust and norms to frame action (Kurylo, 2010, p. 25).

Town Member as Board Member The University Board, to the extent of its ability,

should work to include a seat at the table for an identified member of the town. This seat can be observational or with voting rights, but the representation of the town in decision making is crucial.

University Representation within Town Council As a large portion of the community, it is important the

university act as a member of the community, and be present at Town Council meetings; we would suggest the town council and university board mirror the positions offered to one another.

BUILDING TRUST:CREATING SEATS AT THE

TABLE


s

DETAILED SOLUTION



"Dozen of studies confi rm that education was by far the best prediction of engagement in c iv ic l i fe, and universit ies were in the midst of the most far-reaching expansion in American History." (Putman, 2000, p 18).

Residence Life Based on the previous assessments, the university, in

conjunction with Residence Life, should work to improve the housing options and availability to students on campus.

Student Activ it ies Upon review of assessment, key programmatic and

organizational changes should be made to fi t the student need and interests.

Residence Life & Student Activ it ies Collaboratively should begin to provide signifi cant

opportunities for students to learn through service to the community. There should be multiple opportunities a month for students to engage in a positive way within the community to instill a sense of pride in both the university and the surrounding community.

BUILDING TRUST:PLAN DEVELOPMENT


s

DETAILED SOLUTION



"Dozen of studies confi rm that education was by far the best predict ion of engagement in civic l i fe, and universit ies were in the midst of the most far-reaching expansion in American History." (Putman, 2000, p 18). Residence Life

Based on the previous assessments, the university, in conjunction with Residence Life, should work to improve the housing options and availability to students on campus.

Student Activit ies Upon review of assessment, key programmatic and

organizational changes should be made to fi t the student need and interests.

University Senate In collaboration with ResLife and Student Activities should

implement a service learning component into the curriculum “Service learning has sometimes been used synonymously with

community service, though there are important distinctions between the two terms. The diff erentiating characteristics of service learning include its emphasis on participants’ structured refl ection; collaboration between school and community to address acknowledged community needs; clearly stated links between service and academic knowledge/curriculum; clearly stated learning goals; and a sustained time frame, among others” (Rudow, 2009, p. 10).

ONGOING RELATIONSHIPS:PLAN IMPLEMENTATION


s

DETAILED SOLUTION



Continued interactions and dialogues help the sides grow to understand each other, trust each other that neither would take an action that would compromise the other, and that both are working towards common aims. This process of bui lding relationships creates a “social capital” between part icipants; this capital typical ly consists of “social trust,” “norms of reciprocity,” “stores of goodwil l ,” bonds, and respect that set the foundation for ongoing relat ionships and col laborations in the future (Cowan & Arsenault, 2008, p. 23).

A key to this is fostering shared cultures among groups that al low for each segment to “genuinely engage diff erences” with the other segments so to fi nd that shared ground for communication and the spanning of boundaries (Magolda, 2005, p. 21). In addit ion, i t is important to make al l stakeholders accountable in the responsibi l i ty of outcomes (Lane, 1985, p. 259). By fostering this environment of mutual trust and value, leaders can create buy-in towards committ ing to the “continual improvement and pursuit” of the overal l goals of the organization (Cherif , Ofori -Amoah & Hanna, 2010, p 6).

ONGOING RELATIONSHIPS:REFLECTION & FUTURE

PLANS


s

DETAILED SOLUTION



RelevancyImmediacySOCIAL MEDIA



Social Media is more than just a growing fad, and more than an electronic bil l board. Social media requires a delicate balance between relevancy and immediacy to have a lasting impact. (Cabellon, 2012, ACUHO-I LLPC)

Being late, and out of date, is worse than being absent It’s okay to show up late, but be sure to have an

informed and capable person running the show. This is an effort that needs continuous attention, and

should have a plan created uniquely to address this issue by the key user and the necessary stake holders.

Social Media outlets aren’t a marketing platform, they’re a connection platform Utilizing social media in terms of sharing memories of

the service learning projects and positive interactions within the community is great, but it should be real and reflective of the challenges faced; it should also be used to generate solutions to the challenges.

RELEVANT & IMMEDIATE SOCIAL MEDIA

• Relevancy• Immediacy

SOCIAL MEDIA



Cabe l l on , E . (2012 , October ) Soc ia l Med ia and S tuden t Aff a i rs : Engag ing Our On l ine Commun i t i es ; Keyno te address a t the L iv ing Learn ing Prog ram Con fe rence o f the Assoc ia t i on o f Co l l ege and Un ivers i t y Hous ing Offi cers - In te rna t iona l . A lbuquerque , NM.

Cher i f , A . , O fo r i -Amoah , B . , Hanna , B . W. , & S te fu rak , L . (2010) . S t rengthen ing the Academic Depar tment Th rough Empowerment o f Facu l ty and S taff . Academic Leadersh ip , 8 (2 ) , 1 -9 .

Co rey , S . M . (1944) . Co - opera t i ve S taff Work . The Schoo l Rev iew, 52 (6 ) , 336 -345 .

Cowan , G . , & A rsenau l t , A. (2008) . Mov ing f rom Mono logue to D ia logue to Co l l abo ra t i on : The Th ree Layers o f Pub l i c D ip lomacy. Anna l s O f The Amer i can Academy O f Po l i t i ca l & Soc ia l Sc ience , 616 , 10 -30 .

Ku ry lo , A. (2010) . Teach ing the D iff erence be tween Compromise and Co l l abo ra t i on th rough Tr i a l and E rro r. Commun ica t i on Teacher , 24 (1 ) , 25 -29 .Lane , J . E . (1985) . Academic Pro fess ion i n Academic Organ i za t ion . H igher Educa t ion , 14 (3 ) 241 -268 .

Lev ina , N . , & Vaas t , E . (2005) . The Emergence o f Boundary Spann ing Competence in Prac t i ce : Imp l i ca t ions fo r Imp lementa t i on and Use o f In fo rmat ion Sys tems . M IS Quar te r l y , 29 (2 ) , 335 -363 .

Mago lda , P. M . (2005) . Proceed w i th cau t ion : Uncommon w isdom about academic and s tuden t aff a i r s pa r tne rsh ips . Abou t Campus , 9 (6 ) , 16 -21 .

Rudow, S . , & Meade , K . (2009) . M i ss ing L inks : Redefi n ing Serv i ce Learn ing Cu rr i cu la . Con fe rence Papers - - Amer i can Po l i t i ca l Sc ience Assoc ia t i on - - Teach ing & Lea rn ing , 1 .

Pu tman , Rober t D . (2000) Bowl ing A lone : The Co l l apse and Rev iva l o f Amer i can Commun i ty. 15 -136


REFERENCES

Documents

University of New Mexico Megan Chibanga Jandea Dickson Matt Makofske CASE STUDY COMPETITION 2013