Ben Roche Southern Cross University: Engagement for Regional Universities

Ben Roche

Engagement for Regional UniversitiesMany challenges, opportunities and a danger.

Engagement

“the cultivation of relationships that lead to productivepartnerships which yield mutually beneficial outcomesthrough the application of university resources acrossthe breadth of university activities”

Engagement Australia (engagementaustralia.org.au)

Resources – Staff, students, infrastructure and knowledge

Activities – Research, learning and teaching, service

Engagement ≠ Service

• Scholarly & Citizenship dimensions

• Engagement is a Process

• Impact is the outcome

• Differentiated by mutual benefit

• Relationship driven

• Integrated: research, teaching & service

Engaged Universities

• Innovation & Productivity agendas

• Public policy and knowledge exchange

• Industry needs

• Curriculum relevance• Economic transition• Societal challenges &

public good

Drivers Relevance

(RUN Engagement Group, 2013)

Many challenges

• Diversity of activities

• Articulating impact and thus value

• Relevance across scales

• High expectations

• No uniform model

• Many different Masters

Levels of Institutional Commitment

Low Relevance

Medium Relevance

High Relevance

Full Integration

The Holland Matrix (2006)

• Mission

• Explicit leadership positions

• Promotion, tenure, recruitment

• Organisation structure & funding

• Community & faculty involvement

• Curriculum framework

UEQM Framework

• Identified typologies

• Active stakeholders

• Specific governance

• Executive leadership

• Recognition & Incentive

• Process & impact metrics

• Investment in relationships

• Professional development

(Cuthill, 2007)

Reflecting on Wingspread’s call

• Integrate engagement into mission

• Forge partnerships as the overarching framework

• Renew and redefine discovery and scholarship

• Integrate engagement into teaching and learning

• Recruit and support new champions

• Create radical institutional change

Brukardt et. Al (2004) “Calling the Question: Is Higher Education Ready to Commit to Community Engagement?”

The Opportunities…

• Lateral connector: across related portfolios

• Robust strategic framework: individual & institutional

• Grounded in clear conception, values framework and explicit mission

• Define explicit organisational model

• Identify institutional leadership roles

• Embrace strong leadership in the sector

for regional universities to lose.

A Danger…

• Service frame

• Oblique definition with fuzzy outcomes

• A thousand flowers bloom with no coherent strategic framework

• Executive responsibility not leadership

• Profile oriented opposed to partnership driven

• Ignore the power of place

Conclusions

• Hooks: impact, access, relevance, policy

• Nested organisational framework

• Scholarly & Citizenship dimensions

• Systemic drivers: promotion, portfolio, partners

• Partnership strategy: relationships & networks

• Define explicit outcomes for our regions & planet

• Overarching model: typologies, processes, outcomes, impact

Many thanks!

Sandmann & Childers (2012)

• Knowledge is foundation for change process

• Starts with knowledgeable individuals with influence

• Policy led responses often face resistance

• Promotion, tenure and recruitment weakest on Holland’s matrix.

72 participants from the Engagement Academy (US) over four years

Institutional Competency Model

Lead Resource

Development

Develop a Vision, Roles &

Plan for Engagement/

Engaged Scholarship

Develop & Maintain

Strategic Engagement

Operations

Customize Change

Strategies to Support

Engagement

Culture

Commitment

Alignment

Integration

Impact

Read the Institutional

and Community

Context

Develop Programs

with Impact

Communicate Impact

Statically

(Sandmann & Childers, 2012)