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PUBLICATION T20-015 JULY 2020
Understanding Perceptions of University of Delaware’s Community
Engagement: Feedback from Community Partners
Authors: Allison Karpyn, PhD
Kathleen McCallops, MS Henry Wolgast Tara Tracy, BS
Iyanna McCoy, BS Nicole Miller
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 2 of 36
CRESP is committed to addressing education and social policy challenges with rigorous, relevant research. The Center for Research in Education and Social Policy (CRESP) within the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Delaware conducts rigorous research, program evaluation, and policy analysis to help policymakers and practitioners in education, community health and human services determine which policies and programs are most promising to improve outcomes for children, youth, adults and families.
Founded in 2013, CRESP recognizes that poverty, educational achievement, and chronic disease prevention are intertwined in a complex social web that challenges communities and policymakers alike. CRESP’s mission, values, and scientific priorities seek to inform program and policy development across local, state, and federal levels. We work alongside program professionals, academic leaders, and students to foster engagement in high-quality, practice-driven research and evaluation. CRESP researchers are trained in evaluation methodology, randomized field experiments, natural experiments, qualitative methods, statistical analysis, mixed-method evaluation and survey research.
Please feel free to contact us should you have any questions about us or our research. Center for Research in Education and Social Policy University of Delaware Pearson Hall, Suite 107 125 Academy Street Newark, DE 19716 [email protected] (302) 831-2928
cresp.udel.edu Twitter: @udcresp
CRESP Leadership Team Henry May, Director ([email protected]) Allison Karpyn, Senior Associate Director ([email protected]) Sue Giancola, Senior Associate Director ([email protected]) Jeff Klein, Associate Director ([email protected])
Suggested Citation Karpyn, A., McCallops, K., Wolgast, H., Tracy, T., McCoy, I., & Miller, N. (July 2020). Understanding
Perceptions of University of Delaware’s Community Engagement: Feedback from Community Partners (T20-015). Newark, DE: Center for Research in Education and Social Policy.
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 3 of 36
UNDERSTANDING PERCEPTIONS OF UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE’S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY PARTNERS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Inresponsetocurrenteffortstomeasureandunderstandcommunityengagementefforts,
theCommunityEngagementInitiative(CEI)attheUniversityofDelaware(UD)developedopen-source,communityengagementsurveytoolstocollectdataregardingcommunityengagementacrossthreekeystakeholdergroups:(1)students,(2)facultyandstaff,and(3)communitypartners.Developmentofthesurveytoolswasdrivenbycreationofalogicmodel,incorporationofothermodelsandsurveys,andconsiderationofoverarchinggoals(e.g.,creatingmutuallybeneficialtiesbetweeninstitutionsandcommunities).Thisreportpresentsdatafromthecommunitypartnersurvey,whichincludedbothquantitativeandqualitativequestions.
Thefollowingarethemajorquantitativefindingsofthecommunitypartnersurvey:
• 71%statedthatequitymatterstoUDwhenitcomestotheircommunitywork.
• 70%reportedthatUDwasatrustworthypartnerinthecommunity.
• 82%agreedorstronglyagreedthatUDsupportscommunity-basedhealthinthestate.
• 73%statedthatUDsupportsartsandculturalactivitiesinthestate.
• 69%reportedorstronglyagreedthatUDsupportsK-12educationinthestate.
• 83%agreedorstronglyagreedthecommunityresearchUDdoesisbeneficial.
Thefollowingarethemajorqualitativefindingsofthecommunitypartnersurvey:
• CommunitypartnersoftenreportedonthestrengthsofUD’scommunityengagementefforts,ingeneralfeelingthatUDhasmademeaningfulcontributionstothestates’ArtsandCulture,improvingthehealthofcommunitiesandaddressingeducationalneedsinthestate.
• CommunitypartnersidentifiedweaknessesofandbarrierstocommunityengagementatUD,suchasfinancialbarriers,lackofunderstandingcommunityneeds,andadvertisingcommunityengagementopportunities.
• CommunitygroupsareconcernedattimesthatUD’sengagementisforthebenefitofresearchanditsfacultyratherthanoutcomesandneedsthatmattermosttoresidentsandtheirdaytodaylives.
• PartnersprovidedrecommendationstoimprovecommunityengagementatUDbyexpandingoutreachtoallregionsinDelaware,aswellasincreasingawarenessofcurrentinitiatives,expandingcollaborationswithfunding,andsupportingparticipationincommunityactivitiesbyengagingtheentirecampus,includingeffortstoaddresstransportationbarrierstoandfromsites.
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Basedonthesefindings,weproviderecommendationsandreflectionstostrengthenUD’scommunityengagementeffortsaspartofUD’scommitmenttoitsCarnegieFoundationfortheAdvancementofTeachingdesignation:
1. Clarifyandexpandawarenessofwhatcommunityengagementis,whyitisvalued,andhowitcanlookacrosscollegesanddepartments,aswellasstudentgroups.
2. ConsideraregularcommunityengagementfeatureonDelawarepublicradioandinTheNewsJournal.
3. Identifyonecentralweb-basedlocationwherecommunityengagementactivitiesandopportunitiesacrosstheUniversitycanbelocated.
4. Clarifyhowcommunitypartnerscanworkincoordinationwithandgainsupportfromestablishedpartnerships.
5. ExpandoutreachtoallregionsofDelawareandengagesatellitecampusesincommunityengagementefforts.
6. Evaluatenewengagementprojectsinconjunctionwithcommunitypartnerstofocuseffortsonaddressingunmetcommunityneeds.
7. Transformcommunityengagementtobetteralignandprioritizecommunityinterestswithuniversityexpertiseandresources.
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COMMUNITY PARTNER – COMMUNITY ENGAGMENT REPORT
INTRODUCTION Measuringthebreadthanddepthofaninstitution’scommunityengagementandthe
efficacyofitscollaborativeeffortsisanessentialtaskforthefutureofcommunityengagement,alsoknownascivicengagement.TheCommunityEngagementInitiative(CEI)attheUniversityofDelaware(UD)hasdevelopedasetoftoolsformeasuringaUniversity’sinstitutionalcommunityengagementacrossthreekeystakeholdergroups:(1)students,(2)facultyandstaff,and(3)communitypartners.Thetoolkitismadeupofalogicmodelandthreedistinctsurveys,oneforeachidentifiedstakeholdergroup.Surveyquestionsaredistinctlymappedfromthelogicmodel’sshort-andlong-termobjectivesforimprovinginstitutionalcapacityforcommunityengagement.AnnualsurveysareelectronicallydistributedtoeachofthestakeholdergroupstoinformandimprovetheUniversity’scommunityengagementefforts.Thistoolkitisthefirstfreelyaccessibleongoingtooltoassessandimproveinstitutionalcommunityengagementandaimstoimprovereciprocallybeneficialrelationshipsbetweeninstitutionsandthecommunitiesinwhichtheyareengaged.
BACKGROUND AND BRIEF HISTORY
Universitiesgloballyareembracingcivicengagementasanimportantcomponentoftheirwork.TheCarnegieFoundationfortheAdvancementofTeachinghasdesignated359outof5,000highereducationinstitutionsintheU.S.ascivicallyengagedorganizations,anumberwhichcontinuestoincrease(AssociationofPublicandLand-grantUniversities,2020).UDwasformallyrecognizedbytheCarnegieFoundationforoutstandingcommunityengagementin2015,1of67publicinstitutionsnationallythatholdthisdesignation.UD’sclassificationwasgarneredbytheCEI,whichseekstoexpandtheUniversity’sroleincultivatingactivecitizensthroughpartnershipsthatimpactcivicneedsandfosteringreciprocallybeneficialrelationshipsbetweentheUniversityandthecommunitieswhereitisengaged.
Yetsucheffortsarenotsimpleundertakings,andtodowell,requiremorethanadefaultdocumentation.Awell-designedassessmentapproachmustclarifypurposeandaims,whileadvancingthequalityoftheeffortalongwithsupportingacommonunderstandingofgoalsandobjectives.Anintegratedapproachtoassessmentisonemechanismtohelpestablishacommondefinitionofsuccess,yetwithsuchoverarchingsubstantialeffortsbeingundertakenacrossstakeholdergroupsincludingstudents,facultyandstaff,andcommunitypartners,viaasimilarbreadthofinterwovenactivitieswhichoverlapacrosstheareasofresearch,teaching,andservice(includingfromacommunitymemberperspective)measuringsucheffortscanbedaunting.
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Further,datacanbeutilizedtoservemultiplepurposes,informingnotonlytheCEI’sprogress,butalsosupportinglearningobjectives,researchneedsanddepartmentorcenter-basedevaluationneeds.
UD’scommunityengagementleadersidentifiedoneofthemajorchallengesintransitioningfromcommunityinvolvementtosustainedandvisiblecommunityengagementtobethedevelopmentofastrategicprocessfortheregular,systematicandstandardizedcollectionofinformationoncommunityengagementactivities.Sincethen,theevaluationteamhasdevelopedatoolkitaligningindicatorsandoutcomesfromacomprehensivelogicmodeltoformulatesurveyquestions,identifiedkeysourcesofdatafromwhichprogresscanbemonitoredandtracked,andcollectedsurveydatafromthreekeystakeholdergroupstoinformandimprovetheUniversity’scommunityengagementusingthesesystematicmeasurabletools.
Institutionalcivicengagementisimportantinestablishingmutuallybeneficialrelationshipsbetweenanorganizationandthecommunitywhereitislocated.Establishingmutuallybeneficialrelationshipsrequiresnotonlycontinuedengagementeffortsbutalsocommunitypartners’trustthatinstitutionalpartnershavetheirbestinterestsinmind.Highereducationhaslongbeeninvolvedincommunityengagementeffortsyettherehaslargelybeenalackofsystematic,quantitativeandqualitativeanalysisoftheeffectiveness,coordination,accessibility,andperceptionoftheseefforts.EvaluatinginstitutionalcivicengagementeffortscanimproveUD’scommunityengagementbyprovidingtheCEIandothercivicengagementleaderswithtrendsandanalysisofstakeholders’perceptionsontheeffectiveness,accessibility,andscopeofengagementefforts.
UDhasalongtraditionofcommitmenttocommunityengagedscholarshipthroughapplyingknowledgeandcreativitytochallengesfacingDelawarecommunities.In2013,UD’sCarnegieFoundationTaskForcedesignedandfieldedthefirst-everUDCommunityEngagementSurveytoallfacultyandstaff.Thesewerethefirstresultsleveragedtoimprovetheaccessibilityofcommunityengagementopportunitiesforfacultyandstaff.
In2015,theCarnegieFoundationhonoredUDforitsinstitutionalcommitmenttocommunityengagement.WithinthecontextoftheCarnegieFoundationdesignation,communityengagedresearchhaswidelydefinedthepurposeofcommunityengagementas“thepartnershipofcollegeanduniversityknowledgeandresourceswiththoseofpublicandprivatesectorstoenrichscholarship,research,andcreativeactivity;enhancecurriculum,teachingandlearning,prepareeducated,engagedcitizens;strengthendemocraticvaluesandcivicresponsibility;addresssocietalissues;andcontributetothepublicgood”(CivicEngagementBenchmarkingTaskForce,2005,p.2).
Thefollowingyear,UD’sCEIformedtostrengthencivicengagementacrosstheinstitutionanditspartners.TheinitiativewasformedtostrengthencollaborationbetweenUDanditslargercommunityandindoingsorecognizeandimpactcivicneeds.In2017,CEIheldquarterlyevaluation
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meetingstodefinecommunityneedsandidentifycorrespondingdatasources.TheUniversity’sCivicActionPlan,publishedin2017,developedUD’sthreekeypartnershipgroups,thePartnershipforHealthyCommunities,thePartnershipforArtsandCulture,andthePartnershipforPublicEducation.
Inresponsetoacallforongoingmeasurementofinstitutionalengagement,theprocessofdevelopinganevaluationtoolbeganin2018.Thetooldevelopmentconsistedofaseven-stepprocess,furtherdetailedintheMethodssection,resultinginacomprehensivelogicmodel,aligningoutcomesandindicatorsofcommunityengagement,seeFigure1,aswellassurveysforthethreeidentifiedstakeholdergroups.SurveydatacollectedfromUDstudents,facultyandstaff,andcommunitypartnerswasutilizedtodirectlymeasuretheobjectivesidentifiedinthelogicmodel;thoughadditionaldatawasalsocollectedfromotherexistingsources(i.e.,researchandadministrativesources).
Figure1.CommunityEngagementLogicModel
Theauthorsofthisreportintendforthisdatatobeusedwithinthecontextofthelogicmodel,toinformandimprovethecommunityengagementworktomeetUD’sgoalsforitsCEI.Further,thesetoolsweredevelopedtosupportmutuallybeneficialcommunityengagementamongsimilarinstitutions.
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METHOD
SURVEY DEVELOPMENT
Surveydevelopmentconsistedofaseven-stepprocesstoensurethatsurveyquestionswerecomprehensive,alignedwithformertools,allwhileremainingsuccincttoincreaseparticipants’responserates.Thefirststepbeganin2018byreviewingallavailablematerialsanddocumentswhichdescribedthepurposeandintentofthecivicengagementworkatUD.ThesetoolsincludedUD’s2017CivicActionPlanaswellasthemissionstatementsandongoingengagementeffortsofpartnershipgroups.Inordertobegingatheringdatathatwouldassessengagementefforts,aninventoryofcommunityengagementeffortsbyfaculty,staff,students,andcommunitypartnerswassimultaneouslyestablishedusingacademiccollegesaskeyinformationproviders.
Asthesecondstepinsurveydevelopment,theresearchteamconductedaliteraturereviewonstrategiesforevaluatinginstitutionalcommunityengagementandbyreviewingtheworkofothercommunity-engagedinstitutions.Whilealimitednumberoftoolswereidentified,thoseresourcesidentifiedwerenotequippedtoassesscommunitypartnerperceptionofinstitutionalengagement.
Thethirdstepinvolvedusingpriortoolsandpartnershipfeedbackasguidestodevelopshort-andlong-termobjectivesofcommunityengagement.Theprocessincludedacommitteeofindividuals,withinputfrompartnershipgroupsoftheCEI,resultinginclearlyarticulatedobjectivesfortheeffortsothattheappropriatedatacouldbeidentifiedandtrendscouldbetracked.Objectiveswerelargelydefinedbyamyriadofdatasourcesandpartnerevaluationsofcommunityneeds.Short-andlong-termobjectiveswereidentifiedthatwouldincreasethecapacityformembersoftheUDcommunitymemberstoparticipateincommunityengagementwithinandbeyondUD’scampus.Theseobjectiveswerethenmappedtolong-termgoalsthatfocusonthecontinualdevelopmentandmeasurementof:(1)high-qualitycommunityengagementactivities;(2)community-engagedscholarshipamongfaculty,staff,students,communitypartners;and(3)improvedwell-beingofUDandthecommunitieswhereitisengaged.Theseobjectivesandgoalswereutilizedtocreatealogicmodel,avisualguidetotheoutlineandtimelineoftheobjectivesandgoalsforcommunityengagement.
Objectivesweremappedtoindicatorsforeachsurveygroup,comprisingthefourthstepinthesurveydevelopmentprocess.WorkingevaluationmeetingsoccurredregularlywitheachofthethreeCEIpartnershipgroups(Education,ArtsandCulture,andCommunityHealth),toclarifyobjectivesandworktowardmeasurable,standardizedindicators.Datacollectionmechanismswereidentifiedtoassesstheseindicators,withthegoalofcapturingexistingdataaswellasunderstandingthebestmechanismsforaccessingexistingdataoncampusandinthecommunity.Surveyquestionsweredevelopedinthefifthstepofsurveydevelopmentthroughbothreviewing
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existingtoolsanddevelopinguniquequestionstailoredtoUDandsurroundingcommunities.ThesixthstepinvolvedsurveyquestionreviewbyleadershipatUDacrossallpartnershipteams,andthefinalstepconsistedofquestionpilotingwithasubsetofstudents,faculty,staffandcommunitypartners.Confusingorpotentiallyredundantquestionswereeliminatedorrefined,andthesecondroundofpilotingtookplace.
Thecommunitypartnersurveyis32questionsandthreepageslongandcontainsbothqualitativeopen-endedquestionsandquantitativequestions(seeAppendixforentiresurvey).Thecommunitypartnersurveyhasthreeprimaryobjectives:(1)understandperceptionofcommunityengagementactivitiesbroadlyandspecifictotheirexperience,(2)assesscommunityperceptionsofUD’scommunityawarenessandeffectiveness,and(3)understandrangeandtypesofactivitiesundertakenwithstudentsandfacultyandstaff.
SurveydatacollectedfromUDcommunitypartnerswillbeutilizedtodirectlymeasuretheobjectivesidentifiedinthelogicmodel;thoughadditionaldataisalsocollectedfromotherexistingsources(i.e.,researchandadministrativesources).Withinthecontextofthelogicmodel,thisdatainformsandimprovestheworktomeetUD’sgoalsforitsCEI.Further,wehavedevelopedthetoolswiththeintentionofdissemination,supportingmutuallybeneficialcommunityengagement.
PARTICIPANTS
RespondentsforthecommunitypartnersurveywereidentifiedthroughaseriesofmeetingswithUDprofessorsandresearcherswhoprovidedcontactinformationforUD’spastandcurrentcommunitypartnersreachingacrossfourteenforprofitandnon-profitsectorsincludingbutnotlimitedto:education,healthservices,government,banking,agriculture,entertainment,foodservice,arts,transportation,criminaljustice,environmentalaffairs,religiousinstitutions,andsocialservices.Thecommunitysurveywassentto2,136communitypartnerswhoworkdirectlywithUD.Seventeenpercent(n=353)ofcommunitypartnersrespondedtothesurvey,though208submittedcompleteresponses.
DatacollectionforeachofthethreestakeholdersurveysconsistedofemailcontactandremindersfromDr.LynetteOverby,UD’sActingDirectoroftheCommunityEngagementInitiative.FollowingtheemailcommunicationfromDr.Overby,thecommunitypartnersurveyremainedopenforapproximatelytwomonths.SurveyswerecreatedandadministeredthroughQualtricsandremainedopenfromNovemberuntilmid-January.Dr.OverbyinitiallycontactedcommunitypartnersviaemailtocompletethesurveyinNovember.ShefollowedupwithreminderstocommunitypartnerstocompletethesurveybeforetheQualtricsformclosedinmid-January.
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SURVEY QUESTIONS
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
Whilesurveyparticipantsremainedanonymous,communitypartnersrespondedtoaseriesofdemographiccharacteristicquestions,suchasprimarybusiness/organizationalzipcode,business/organizationalsectorandmainareaofinterest,andnumberofyearstherespondentworkedonprojectsorinpartnershipwithUD.Thesequestionswereuniquetothecommunitypartnersurvey.Responsesgiveinsightintothedurationofcommunitypartners’collaborationwithUD,thesectororgeneralscopeoftheirrelationship,aswellastheirperceptionsofcommunityengagement.
OVERALL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORK
Acrossallthreesurveys,respondentswereaskedtogivearatingona10-pointLikertscalefrom1(poor)to10(excellent)ofUD’scommunityengagementwork,andwereaskedtoassesstheirattitudetowardsUD’sworkinthecommunity,whetherithasimproved,declined,orstayedthesame.
THINKING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCES
Communitypartnerswerealsoaskedtoratetheextenttowhichtheywouldagreewith20statementsregardingtheeffectiveness,scope,andcommunicationofcommunityengagementeffortsona4-pointLikertscalefrom1(stronglydisagree)to4(stronglyagree).Thesequestionsgagecommunitypartners’perceptionoftheUniversity’scivicengagementwork.Forexample,“IknowhowtogetintouchwithaUniversityemployeecapableofhelpingwithmycommunityneeds”and“ItiseasytohostacommunitymeetingoreventataUD-ownedfacility”.Manyofthesequestionsarecommonacrossallthreesurveys,allowingforcomparisonbetweengroups.Forexample,“EquitymatterstoUDwhenitcomestoitscommunitywork”and“UDdoesnotunderstandthecriticalorunmetneedsofcommunitiesinDelaware”.
EXTENT OF ENGAGEMENT
Respondentswereaskedfourquestionsabouttheextentofcommunitypartners’engagementwithUDoverthepastyear,requiringrespondentstodescribethenatureoftheircollaboration(e.g.,,“Inthepast12months,abouthowmanyprojects,grantsorprogramssupportedbytheUniversityofDelawarewereyouengagedin?”)andquantifythenumberofUDassociatedpersonsinvolvedwiththeproject(e.g.,“Inthepastyear,abouthowmanydifferentUDfaculty,stafforstudentshaveyoumetorworkedwith?”).Inaddition,respondentswereaskedtoindicatethenumberofUD-hostedmeetsoreventstheyhaveattended,aswellasthefinancialbenefitthathasresultedfromtheparticipants’engagementwithUD.
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DATA ANALYSIS
QuantitativedatawereanalyzedusingSPSSv26.Descriptivestatisticswereusedtodescribethebasicfeaturesofthedata,andprovidesummariesoftherangeofvariablesexamined.QualitativedatawerecodedusingDedooseTMqualitativeanalysissoftware.Initialcodesweredevelopedbyreadingasubsampleofresponsesandusingline-by-linecoding,andcodescontinuedtobedevelopedandrefinedthroughoutthecodingprocess.Inordertoimproveinter-raterreliabilityandensurecodingaccuracyamongallthreecoders,codesweregivenanexplicitdefinition.Allcodingdiscrepancieswerediscussedamongallthreecodersandwereresolvedbyreachingaconsensus.SalientthemesareprovidedintheFindingssection.
FINDINGS
QUANTITATIVE
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
Table1presentsthedemographiccharacteristicsofthesample.ThesampleofUniversitycommunitypartnersprimarilyconsistedofindividualsinfoursectors.Atotalof54%ofparticipantswerefromthenon-profitsector,23%ofpartnerswereinvolvedingovernment,8%wereinthecorporatesector,and8%wereinPreK-12education.Asmallernumberofsurveyrespondents,about5%,indicatedtheiraffiliationinthevolunteersector,and2%reportedtheirinvolvementinhighereducation.
Communitypartnersreportedawiderangeofbusiness/organizationalzipcodesfromacrossthestateofDelaware.Thehighestquantityofparticipants’organizationalzipcodes,23%,was19801,anareacodeinNewCastleCounty.Thesecondhighestreportedareacodewas19901,anareacodeinKentCountywhichrepresented13%ofparticipants.AnotherareacodeinNewCastleCounty,19711,representedanother13%ofsurveyparticipants.Thirty-fouruniqueareacodeswerereportedintotal.Furthermore,approximatelyhalfofrespondents(48%)indicatedtheirbusiness/organizationwaslocatedinWilmington.
About24%ofcommunitypartnersidentifiedhealthastheprimaryareaofinterestfortheirbusinessororganization.About17%identifiedPreK-12Education/YouthProgrammingastheirorganizationsprimaryinterestwhileanothernearly8%identifiedcommunityorganizingastheirgroup’sprimaryinterest.About29%ofcommunitypartnerslisted‘Other’astheirorganization’sprimaryareaofinterest.
OVERALL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORK
CommunitypartnersratedtheUniversity’scommunityengagementonascalefrom1to10with1beingpoorcommunityengagementand10beingexcellent.Overall,themeanwas6.23(Mode=5;SD=2.500),seeTable2andFigure2.
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Figure2.CommunityPartnerCommunityEngagementRating
Inaddition,communitypartnersreflectedupontheirattitudetowardstheUniversity’sworkinthecommunitywithinthepreviousyear,andwhetheritimproved,declined,orstayedthesame.ThirtyfivepercentofcommunitypartnersfelttheUniversity’sworkimproved,while14%saiditdeclined,seeTable3.
EXPERIENCES WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
CommunitypartnersaregenerallypositiveabouttheirexperiencesinworkingwithUD(mosthaveengagedwithatleast17facultyorstaffinthepastyear,on1-2projects);however,sentimentsarenotalwaysconsistentandsomeexpressfrustration.ThecommunitywouldlikemoreinformationaboutthewaysUDisengaged,theimpactsofthatengagement,betteraccesstoUDfacilitiesandresourcesandtoseelonger-termcommitmentstoservingthecommunity’sneeds,notjustthoseoftheUniversity.
Communitypartnerswereaskedtoreflectonthepast12monthswhenrespondingtoaseriesofstatementsabouttheirexperienceswithcommunityengagement,seeTable4.Theythenwereaskedtoindicatewhetherornottheyagreedwiththestatementsbychoosingnumbersona4-pointLikertscalefrom1(stronglydisagree)to4(stronglyagree).
About65%ofcommunitypartnersagreedorstronglyagreedthatequitymatterstoUDwhenitcomestotheircommunitywork,seeFigure3,and70%ofrespondentsagreedorstronglyagreedthatUDwasatrustworthypartnerinthecommunity.Themajorityofpartners,about63%,
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agreedorstronglyagreedthatprofessorsatUDarecommunityminded.However,68%ofrespondentsagreedorstronglyagreedthatUDemployeesarenotawareoftheworktheirownUniversityisdoinginthecommunity.
Figure3.CommunityPartnerResponsesRegardingEquity
Communitypartnerresultsalsoshowedahighlypositivereactiontocommunityengaged
researchatUD.About83%ofrespondentsagreedorstronglyagreedthecommunityresearchUDdoesisbeneficial.About81%ofcommunitypartnersagreedorstronglyagreedthatUDprovidesscientificevidenceforpolicyinDelaware.Furthermore,63%ofrespondentsagreedorstronglyagreedtheyhaveastrongpartnershipwithUD,andabout68%ofcommunitypartnersagreedorstronglyagreedthattheirrelationshipwithUDisreciprocal,suchthatthereismutualbenefit.Yet,about43%ofrespondentsagreedorstronglyagreedthatUDdoesnotunderstandthecriticalandunmetneedsofthecommunity.
Communitypartners’awarenessofUD’sthreepartnershipgroupsforcommunityengagementdifferedbygroup,showingsometobemorewidelyknownthanothers.About73%ofcommunitypartnerswereawareofthePartnershipforHealthyCommunitiesatUD.Slightlylessrespondents,about46%,wereawareofthePartnershipforPublicEducationatUD,andonly34%ofcommunitypartnerswereawareofthePartnershipforArtsandCultureatUD.
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Inadditiontoknowledgeaboutthepartnershipgroups,communitypartnersalsowidelysaidthatUDwassupportiveofartsandculture,publichealth,andK-12educationinDelaware.About82%ofrespondentsagreedorstronglyagreedthatUDsupportscommunity-basedhealthinthestate.Similarly,about73%ofcommunitypartnersagreedorstronglyagreedthatUDsupportsartsandculturalactivitiesinthestate.Finally,about69%ofrespondentsagreedorstronglyagreedthatUDsupportsK-12educationinthestate.
Obstaclesincommunitypartners’experienceswithUDincludeddifficultiesutilizinguniversityresourcesandhostingcommunitymeetingsatUD-ownedfacilities.Specifically,about56%ofcommunitypartnersdisagreedorstronglydisagreedwiththestatementthatitwaseasytohostcommunitymeetingsatUD-ownedfacilities.
RespondentssimultaneouslywerelessabletoidentifyspecificcommunityengagementworkUDisdoingandsomewereunawareofhowtocontactuniversityemployeestohelpwithcommunityneeds.Only52%ofcommunitypartnersagreedorstronglyagreedthattheyhaveagoodsenseoftheworkUDisdoinginthecommunity.Similarly,just53%ofrespondentsagreedorstronglyagreedthattheyknowhowtogetintouchwithaUniversityemployeecapableofhelpingwiththeircommunityneeds.
EXTENT OF ENGAGEMENT
CommunitypartnerswereaskedtoreportthenumberofUD-hostedmeetingsoreventstheyattendedinthepast12months,seeTable5.Inthepastyear,respondentsreportedattendingmorethanfourUD-hostedmeetingsorevents,M=4.82,SD=15.414,Mode=0,Min/Max=0/221.Inaddition,communitypartnersgenerallyreportedengaginginmorethanoneproject,grant,orprogramsupportedbyUDinthepast12months,M=1.87,SD=2.666,Mode=0,Min/Max=0/25.RespondentswerealsoaskedtoindicatethetotalnumberofUDfaculty,staff,orstudentstheyworkedwithonanycommunityengagementactivitiesinthepasttwelvemonths.Onaverage,participantsworkedwithmoreroughly17universityfaculty,staff,orstudents,M=17.26,SD=45.651,Mode=4,Min/Max=0/400.CommunitypartnersestimatedtheiraveragefinancialbenefitfromengagementwithUDwasjustover$190,000,althoughtherewerelargedistributionsofresponsesonthisquestion.Themode,forexample,is$0,M=$195,952.29,SD=$2,616,319.69,Mode=$0,Min/Max=$0/$38,000,000.
OPEN-ENDED FEEDBACK
Communitypartnerswereaskedtoprovideadditionalthoughts,advice,orfeedbackaboutUD’scommunityengagement.ThesenarrativeresponseswerecarefullyreviewedusingDedooseTM,resultinginseventeenthemeswhichwerefurthergroupedintofivecategories(i.e.,Strengths,Weaknesses,Barriers,Recommendations,SurveyTool,seeTable6).
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STRENGTHS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT UD UD ACTIVELY ENGAGES WITH THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY
CommunitypartnersoftenreportedonthestrengthsofUD’scommunityengagementefforts,suchascommunityengagementhappeningthroughoutthestate:
“AsaresidentofDoverandavolunteerwithRestoringCentralDover,thecommunityengagementeffortsoftheUofDAssociateofArtsprogramhere--studentsandfaculty--hasbeenexcellent!”
“TheUofD'scommitmenttoimprovingcommunityengagementinhelpingcommunitiestosolveitsownproblemshasbeenoutstanding;alsoencouragingstudentstobeinvolvedinreallifecommunityneedsandproblemsolvingwillturnoutgraduateswhoaresensitivetotheneedsofthe[underserved]andeconomicallydisadvantagedcommunitiesandwillcreateabetterworldforall.”
“Communityengagementvarieswitheachdepartmentorschool.Overallmyexperiencehasbeenterrific.Mostwouldbeata10.”
Inaddition,respondentsprovidedexamplesofsuccessfulcommunityengagementinitiatives:
“IworkwithCEEE[CenterforEconomicEducationandEntrepreneurship]intheiroversightoftheBankatSchoolprogramandmorerecentlyintheireffortstoimplementtheK-12financialliteracystandardsinDelawareSchools.Ifindthemengaged,active,anddedicatedtothispursuit.IalsoworkwithUD'sDirectorofCommunityRevitalizationintheirpartnershipwiththeFHL[FederalHomeLoan]Bank[in]PittsburghandtheWashingtonHeightscommunityinWilmington.Theyhavebeenanexcellentcommunitypartner,providingfunding,leadership,andresourcestoourinitiatives.”
“[CertainFacultyinEnergy]aredoingagoodjob.[Otherfacultyare]doingthejob[that]wasaskedtoperformby[the]CountyGovernment(Surveytorelocateourentirecommunity).OneofthelargestcleanupofpollutionwasengagedinbyourCivicAssociationforwhichIamitsPresident.Forthosewhorefusedtocooperateweenteredintoaclassactionlawsuitwith32defendantcompaniesthatwewon.”
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COMMUNITY PARTNERS WANT TO BECOME INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Respondentswereenthusiasticandstatedtheywantedtobecomeinvolvedwithcurrentandfutureinitiatives:
“IwouldvaluetheopportunitytoworkwiththeUniversityandbekeptinformedofcommunityengagement.”
“IwishIknewhowtogetinvolved…”
“IwouldliketosupportUDmore.”
WEAKNESSES OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT UD UD NEEDS TO COMMIT TO LONG-TERM COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, ESPECIALLY WITH MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES OUTSIDE OF THE UD CAMPUS
CommunitypartnersproclaimedthattheUniversityneedstoincreaseengagementwiththesurroundingcities:
“MyperspectiveisthatUDisnotveryengagedintheCityofWilmington,ourState'sprimarycity.InparticularIdonotbelieveUDmakesmuch-ifany-efforttotrainteacherstoworkinWilmingtonlowincomecommunities,wheretheyaresadlyneeded.UDisoneoftheState'smostpowerfulandcapableinstitutionsandIwishitwouldemploymoreofthatcapabilityandpowerinWilmington,particularlyinthepubliceducationarena.”
“IfeelthatUDneedstoengagewiththeCommunityatamuchhigherlevel,asalong-timeemployeeofUDIhavewitnessedadropintheengagementwiththecityofNewarkandfeelthatweasaUniversityshouldpartnermorewiththecommunity.”
Furthermore,onerespondentnotedalackofengagementwithmarginalizedcommunities:
“ThereshouldbemoredirectandstrategiccommunityengagementwithvulnerableandmarginalizedcommunitiesandareasoutsideofUD.”
COMMUNITY PARTNERS ARE UNAWARE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES AND WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORK UD IS DOING AND ITS IMPACT
SeveralrespondentshadabsolutelynoawarenessofhowUDisengagedwiththecommunity,citing,“Iamnotawareofmanycommunityeventsgoingoninthecommunity[supportedorattendedbyUD].”“IstherecommunityengagementbyUD?”
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 17 of 36
Inaddition,CommunitypartnerswroteaboutUD’svaluesrelatedtocommunityengagementanditseffectsonthecommunity,andthereisacommonbeliefthatthereisadisconnectbetweenthetwo.Forexample,severalrespondentsbelievethedisconnectstemsfromthevalueplacedonacademicpublicationsandresearch:
“Communityengagementisnotandshouldnotbefocusedonacademicpublishing.”
“IwouldliketoseethemprovidemoretangiblebenefitstothecitizensoftheWilmingtoncommunity,besidesexploitingthecommunityforresearch.”
Conversely,othersindicatedthisdisconnectisdrivenbytheuniversity’sfocusonfinancialgains:
“CommunityengagementappearsimportantwhenitprovidesarevenuestreamforUD.”
“ItappearsthatUDisstartingtomoveintherightdirectionbutUDisstillinthespaceoftransactionalengagementwithcommunitypartners.Meaning,ifyouhavemoneytogivetoUD,theycanworkwithyou,butifyoudon’thavefundingtogive,theyaren’tverywillinglybringingtheirrichresourcestobeartosupportthecommunityforthesakeofbeingpartofthecommunity.UDstillhasalongwaytogotonotbeastransactionalwiththeirlevelofcommunityengagement.”
“UniversityofDelawareoftenworkstoreceivedollarsforgrantsandworkinthecommunitywithkeypartnerswherefewresourcesaresharedwiththosepartners.InseveralcasesIcan[cite]whereapromisingpracticeisoftentakenoverorbuiltuponbyUDandwrittenintoagrantwherethelaunchingorseedorganizationiscompletelyleftoutofthepictureorprocess.Intellectualproperty,communitytrustandthenlong-termpartnershipareoftenneglected.”
LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF COMMUNITY’S NEEDS
CommunitypartnersexpressedaconcernthatUDdoesnothaveaclearunderstandingofthecommunity’sneeds:
“UDfocusesservicesonlyonstudentsanddoesnottakeintoconsiderationcommunityneeds.TherecouldbeimprovedcollaborationwiththeCityofNewarkandexternalpartnerstodevelopprogramsthatwouldbenefitstudenteducationaswellasstrengthenthecommunity.”
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 18 of 36
“Onlyreasonresultsaren'tbetteristhatyouoftensufferfrompoorperipheralvision,meaningyourframeofreferencetendstobeinternallyfocusedandoverlyacademic(whichIassumeisdifficulttoovercome).”
“Therearesomeinstanceswheretheprogramisnotwellthoughtout,orperhapsnotwellmatchedtotheaudience.”
Furthermore,respondentsquestionediftheuniversityrespectsit’sneighboringtown:
“UofDneedstoinvestinthecommunity,engagewiththeactualcommunityandbeaninvestedpartner.”
“IstronglyfeelUDisnotagoodneighbor/partnerwithrespecttowhatdirectionourtowngrows.”
“Notsureit'sconsistentovertime,andUD'sprimarygoalofkeepingUDstudentscangetinthewayofgenuinecommunitywork.Lotsofresources,butnotsuretheincentivesfortheuniversitytobecommunityinvolvedareadequatetoovercomethemuchstrongerpullforresearch/teaching/theUDsystemtoovercomethat.”
ADVERTISEMENT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
Afewcommunitypartnersstatedthatthereisalackofadvertisingforcommunityengagement:
“UDcoulddoabetterjobofexplainingandpromotingthethingstheyprovidetothecommunitythatmanypeopletakeforgranted.”
“IstherecommunityengagementbyUD?Ifthereis,thereneedstobeabettermarketingefforttopromotetheirefforts.”
LACK OF INITIATIVES RELATED TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Communitypartnersexpressedaconcernforalackofdiversityandinclusionreflectedonthecampusandincurrentinitiatives:
“TheimpressionthecommunityhasaboutUDwillstillalwaysbeinfluencedbyitsstudentbody,whichisoverwhelminglywhiteandnotentirelywelcomingtostudentsofcolor.Moreworkneedstobedoneintermsofrecruitingstudentsofcolor.”
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 19 of 36
“Manyoftheprogramsthattheuniversityprovide,orsupportdonotreachunderservedcommunitieswithoutanintermediaryproviderofinformation”
“Ithinkeffortstobemoreinclusive(toengageparticipantsbeyondthosewhoarenormallycalledupon)canbeimproved.”
LACK OF ENGAGEMENT IN THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
Communitypartnersexpressedaconcernforthelackofoutreachinthecitiessurroundingtheuniversity:
“UDtakesnointerestinengagingwithNewarkresidentsorCityofficialsforthebettermentofthecommunity.”
“MyperspectiveisthatUDisnotveryengagedintheCityofWilmington,ourState'sprimarycity.InparticularIdonotbelieveUDmakesmuch-ifany-efforttotrainteacherstoworkinWilmingtonlowincomecommunities,wheretheyaresadlyneeded.UDisoneoftheState'smostpowerfulandcapableinstitutionsandIwishitwouldemploymoreofthatcapabilityandpowerinWilmington,particularlyinthepubliceducationarena.”
“Thecommunityengagementseemsselectivetothesameaudience-asasmallstatepeoplekeepaskingthesamegroup(s)toparticipateortheirpersonalcontacts.”
“Inourexperience(asdirectorofanonprofit)wehavenocontactwithUD.WehaveneverfoundanyoneinterestedorengagedincommunityconcernsinsouthernDelaware.”
BARRIERS TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT UD ECONOMICS OF BECOMING INVOLVED AND BUILDING USE
Communitypartnersrevealedcriticalobstaclespreventingparticipationincommunityengagement.Forexample,manyrespondentsidentifiedfinancialbarriers:
“IhavetopayforUDinvolvement.”
“I'vealsohadtimeswhenI'verentedspaceforeventsatU.D.andthecostshavebeenprohibitive,makingitdifficulttonetanyprofitfromthoseevents.”
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 20 of 36
LIMITS ON STUDENT PARTICIPATION
Othersacknowledgedbarrierslimitingstudentparticipation,forexample,onerespondentsaid:
“ReachingU.D.studentsalso[presents]challenges,butI'mhopefulthatwillchange.I'vehadexperiencesinthepastwithU.D.studentsusinglocalartsgroupstoconductclassprojectsandthestudentshavebeenunpreparedwhencomingtomeetingsandhavesharedresultsthatwereoflittleusetothecommunitygroup.Again,Ihopetohelpchangethisbyvettingcollaborationsmorecarefullyinthefuture,sothatthecollaborationismutuallybeneficial."
INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Finally,afewcommunitypartnersnotedbarriersplacedbyleadership:
“Regrettably,seniorleadershipdoesnotseemtoembracethiscommitmentbyholdingeveryprojecttoastrictfinancialsustainablebenchmark.”
“...UnderpriorPresidentstheimpactontheCommunitywasmoreimportant.”
“Idon’tthinkUDleadershipparticipatesinthecommunityatall.”
RECOMMENDATIONS TO OVERCOME BARRIERS AND IMPROVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT UD INCREASE PARTICIPATING BY ENGAGING WITH ADDITIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Numerouscommunitypartnersrecommendedjoiningforceswithminorityorganizationstoimprovecommunityrelations:
“Partnerwithblackorganizations.”
“IfUDwouldliketopartnerwithcommunities(particularlynon-whitecommunities),thenIhighlysuggestthatUDcultivatesmutualrelationshipswithcommunityorganizationstofundanddesignprograms…”
“I'dliketoseeUDoffermoresupporttocommunityagenciesandcommunityledgroupsthatfocusondisenfranchisedcommunities.I'velistedsomeideasbelow:
...Programpartnershipswithcommunityled-advocacygroups:
AListofCommunityAgencies/CommunityLedGroups:NetworkDelaware,WomenInPower:BlackMaternalHealthAdvocacyGroup,MetropolitanWilmingtonUrbanLeague,302GunzDown,DelawareCenterforJustice,CCAC'sPACE(AdvocacyCouncilfor
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 21 of 36
Education),WalnutStreetYMCA,ACLUDe,WilmingtonPublicLibrary/NCC[NewCastleCounties]Libraries,BlackAchieversProgram.”
EXPAND COMMUNITY OUTREACH TO ALL REGIONS, AND IN SUPPORT OF UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES IN DELAWARE
CommunitypartnersproposedexpandingcommunityoutreachtoencompassallpartsofDelaware:
“...IbelieveUDcandomoreoutreach,tutoringandtoassistotherstudentsstrugglingtosucceedacademically.TheLatinopopulationhasoneofthehighestHighSchooldropoutratenationwide.andIdonotseeanyincentivestargetingthismajorcrisis.”
“[A]ssomeonewholivesinKentcounty,thereappearstobelimitedprogrammingofactivitiesinmyarea.Iwouldlovetoseemorecommunity-orientedprogramsforchildreninKentCounty.Thankyou!”
“UDwouldenhancecommunityengagementbyextendingthemselvestotheSussexCountyHispanicCommunitywhichisgrowing.Extendingservicesandreceivingfeedbackfromthispopulationontheirunmetneedsacrossthelifespanandacrossthesocialservicespectrumwouldbebeneficialforthiscommunity.”
IMPROVE ADVERTISING OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Communitymembersrecommendedenhancingadvertisingtoincreaseparticipationandawarenessofcommunityengagementopportunities:
“Nearlyallof[the]programs/events/forums/classes/research/filmsetcthatIhaveexperiencedovertheyearsviaUDhavebeenawesome,butIhavestumbleduponmostofthem.IcanthinkofseveralthingsthatIlearnedabouttoolate&kickmyself,wishingIhadfoundthestuffearlier(mathprogramforelementarykids,environmentalfilmseries,CoastDayinLewes...Theremustbeabetterwaytoinformthecommunityofnotnecessarilytheprogramsthemselves(becausetherearesomany),butatleastofwheretogotofindtheinfo.I’mprettyresourceful&IhavetoreallydigtogettheinfoIdoget.”
“IstherecommunityengagementbyUD?Ifthereis,thereneedstobeabettermarketingefforttopromotetheirefforts.”
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 22 of 36
“Ithinkitneedstobemoreexplicit,becauseI'msuretherearethingsgoingonthatI'mjustnotawareof.”
INCREASE FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Somecommunitypartnersmentionedcurrentinitiativesthatcoulduseadditionalsupport:
“Youneedastaffthatisactivelyengagedwiththecommunity.XXX[namewithheld],forexample,whoattendstheCityofNewarkCouncilmeetingissomeonewhoyouwantinyourorganization.”
“...thinktheCEIisoutoftouchwiththecommittee.Theyneedanemployeethatcanbeengagedincivicduties,ratherthanrunningthem.”
“Iwouldlovetoseefineartsfacultysupportingstudentsattending,observingorparticipatinginfineartsactivitiesinNewCastleCounty.”
SURVEY TOOL SUGGESTIONS INCLUDE A NEUTRAL OPTION FOR SURVEY QUESTIONS
Severalcommunitypartnersmentionedwantingtohavea“neutral”option,suchasan“notapplicable”:
“Thissurveylacksacriticalelement...‘neitheragreenordisagree’assuchIwillbeskepticaloftheusefulnessofpublishedresults.N/Aisnotaneffectproxyforthatvalue,andforcesasurveyparticipanttobiastheirresponsestoward‘agree.’”
“SomeoftheresponseswerereallybetweenAgreeandStronglyDisagreesoIselectedAgree.Also,Ihadtouse‘agree’whentheremightnothavebeenabetterresponsethanN/A.”
“Manyareas[ofthesurvey]didnotapplyduetomyrolewithUD,butnooptoutanswer.”
CONCLUSIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS AND REFLECTIONS
DatacollectedfromcommunitypartnersprovidesvaluableinsightastheUniversitymovesforwardwithcontinuedcommunityengagementeffortsandlookstobuildupontherelationshipstheseeffortscreate.ThismeasurementofUD’scommunityengagedworkbystakeholder
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 23 of 36
perceptionshasprovedtobeauniqueandnovelundertakingincommunityengagedscholarshipacrossthecountry.TheprocesshasbroughtaboutvaluableconversationsabouttheongoingstrategicapproachesthattheUniversityistakingtoexpandandemphasizecommunityengagement.Resultshavedemonstratedtheimportanceofelevatingpartnershipworkasacriticaloutreachentityineachoftheseareas.Inresponsetosurveyfeedback,sevenmajorrecommendationshavebeenidentified:
1. Clarifyandexpandawarenessofwhatcommunityengagementis,whyitisvalued,andhowitcanlookacrosscollegesanddepartments,aswellasstudentgroups.LeveragingtheexpertiseofleadersatUD’sCEIthroughanexpansionoftheireffortsmayhelptoexpandinstitutionalawarenessandbroadervaluingofcommunityengagementasanintegralpieceoftheUniversity’sroleinthewiderDelawarecommunity.
2. ConsideraregularcommunityengagementfeatureonDelawarepublicradioandinTheNewsJournal.Oneoftheprimarychallengescommunitypartnersidentifiedtocommunityengagementeffortsrevolvedaroundthecommunicationanddisseminationofengagementefforts.UDaily’sbroad-reachingcoverageoftheseeffortscantranslatecommunityengagementachievementforawide-rangeofreaders,includingcommunitygroupstoincreaseawarenessandconnectresources.AsakeypartofDelawarecommunications,publicradioandTheNewsJournalshouldconsideraregularfeatureontheUniversity’scommunityengagement.
3. Identifyonecentralweb-basedlocationwherecommunityengagementactivitiesandopportunitiesacrosstheUniversitycanbelocated.Informationshouldbeeasilyaccessibletocommunitypartnersinasinglelocationonline,includinginformationonhowtobecomeengagedincommunityengagementopportunities.Respondentsrecognizedaneedforcommunityengagementinformationtobeeasilyaccessibleinasinglelocation.Mostoften,partnerswerelookingspecificallyforinformationonhowtobecomeengagedinexistingeffortswithclarificationonhowpartnerscangainthesupportoftheUniversity’establishedpartnershipgroups.Someofthisinformation,includingupcomingevents,partnershipactivities,andareasofinvolvementhasbeenavailableonUD’sCEIwebsite(https://www.cei.udel.edu/).Theseresourcesspecificallydesignateinformationforcommunitypartnerstoassistinthesuccessfulimplementationofandaccessibilitytocommunityengagedprojects.Currently,communitypartners’awarenessoftheseresourcesremainslow.LeveragingtheexpertiseofleadersatUD’sCEIthroughanexpansionoftheireffortsmayhelpinreachingthesegroupswithCEresourcesandinformation.
4. Clarifyhowcommunitypartnerscanworkincoordinationwithandgainsupportfromestablishedpartnerships.Inadditiontotheneedforacentralhubforcommunity
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 24 of 36
engagement,theseresultsdemonstrateaneedtoimproveadvertisementsofcurrentandfutureinitiativestoreachnewpartnergroups.AcceleratingandexpandingCEIpartnershipsandscopewouldconnectcommunitypartnerstoexistingandfutureopportunities.
5. ExpandoutreachtoallregionsofDelawareandengagesatellitecampusesincommunityengagementefforts.Communityengagementmustbeavailable,accessible,andpromotedinallregionsofDelaware.PartnersnotedaconcentrationofengagementeffortsinNewCastlecountyandexpressedhopesforfuturecollaborationinSouthernDelaware.ExpandingtheUniversity’scommunityengagementasacoreaspectofitsmissionnecessitatesfurtherinvolvingsatellitecampusesincommunityengagementefforts.Thiscouldentailthecreationofafourthpartnership,apartnershipforcommunityengagementinKentandSussexcounties.
6. Evaluatenewengagementprojectsinconjunctionwithcommunitypartnerstofocuseffortsonaddressingunmetcommunityneeds.Communitypartnerresponseshighlighttheneedforanincreasedfocusincommunityengagedprojectstomanagetheirscopeandaimtobettermeetcommunitypartnerneeds.Dataidentifiedalackofengagementeffortsincommunityareasandsectorsofhighestneed.Futureengagementeffortsmuststrivetoincludecommunitypartnersinearlystagesofengagementefforts,inordertomoreaccuratelyidentifyandaddressthecriticalandunmetneedsofcommunities.Furthermore,Universitymembersshouldcirclebacktothecommunitytoinformthemofhowtheirparticipationincommunityengagedscholarshipwasutilizedbytheinstitution,therebyclosingthefeedbackloop.
7. Transformcommunityengagementtobetteralignandprioritizecommunityinterestswithuniversityexpertiseandresources.SurveydatashowedthatcommunitypartnersidentifiedadisconnectbetweenUniversityengagementandcommunityneedsandongoingefforts.Universityengagementmustshifttoworkalongsidecommunitypartnersandleadersandalignwithongoingeffortsinsteadofcreatingneweffortsunalignedwithcurrentwork.Alistenandresponseframeworkforengagementisvitaltoeffectiveengagementeffortstoworktogetherwithcommunitiesratherthanonthem.Thisrequireslisteningtocommunitypartnersandengagingcommunitiesinwaysthataremutuallybeneficial.
ThisdatahasyieldednewandvaluableinformationfornewcommunityengagementworkatUDandastheuniversitycontinuestoexpandcommunityengagementwork,thisannualsurveywillmonitorchangingstakeholderperceptionsofthatwork.Inthefuture,thisresearchcouldbeexpandedtoindividualandrespectiveinvolvementinspecificactivitiesandeventsinorderto
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 25 of 36
furtherenhanceourunderstandingbeyondamorebroad-basedpictureofcommunityengagement.ThechallengesandsuccessesidentifiedwithinthisandotherstakeholderreportsrecognizetheimportantroleofthisdatacollectionasacommitmenttotheincreasedscopeofcommunityengagedworkatUD,instartingmoreconversationsaroundcommunityengagementandusingdataanalysisinbroaderways.
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 26 of 36
REFERENCES AssociationofPublicandLand-grantUniversities.(2020,February4).2020Carnegiecommunity
engagementclassificationrecipientsannounced.https://www.aplu.org/news-and-media/blog/2020-carnegie-community-engagement-classification-recipients-announced
CivicEngagementBenchmarkingTaskForce.(2005).Resourceguideandrecommendationsfordefiningandbenchmarkingengagement.CICCommitteeonEngagementincollaborationwithNationalAssociationofStateUniversitiesandLandGrantColleges:CouncilonExtension,ContinuingEducation,andPublicServiceBenchmarkingTaskForce.Pp.2.http://www.cic.uiuc.edu/groups/CommitteeOnEngagement/index.shtml
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 27 of 36
Table1
DemographicCharacteristicsofRespondents
SurveyQuestions ResponseOptions Percent
Q30.Whatsectordoesyourprimarybusiness/organizationfallinto?(n=208)
Corporate 8.6%
Government 22.6%
HigherEducation 2.4%
Non-Profit 53.4%
PreK-12Education 8.2%
Volunteer 4.8%
Q31.Whatisthemainareaofinterestforyourprimarybusiness/organization?(n=208)
Agriculture 1.0%
Arts 4.8%
CommunityOrganizing 8.2%
CriminalJustice 1.9%
EconomicDevelopment 5.8%
Environment 2.9%
Health 23.5%
HigherEducation 1.4%
JobTraining 1.0%
Other 28.4%
Policy 3.8%
PreK-12Education/YouthProgramming 17.3%
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 28 of 36
Table2
RatingofUD’sCommunityEngagementWork
Q1.Onascaleof1to10where1ispoorand10isexcellent,howwouldyourateUD’scommunityengagementwork?(n=225)
ResponseOptions Percent
1 6.2%
2 3.1%
3 4.9%
4 6.2%
5 22.7%
6 8.9%
7 12.0%
8 16.4%
9 8.4%
10 11.1%
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 29 of 36
Table3
AttitudeTowardUD’sWorkintheCommunityinthePastYear
Q2.Inthepastyear,hasyourattitudetowardUD’sworkinthecommunityimproved,declined,orstayedthesame(n=225)
ResponseOptions Percent
Improved 34.7%
StayedtheSame 51.1%
Declined 14.2%
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 30 of 36
Table4
ExtenttoWhichCommunityPartnersAgreeorDisagreewithStatementsaboutCommunityEngagement
Thinkingaboutyourexperienceoverthepast12months,towhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements:indicatehowstronglyyouagreewiththefollowingstatementsona1-4scalewith1being“Stronglydisagree”,2“Disagree”,3“Agree”,4“Stronglyagree”.
SurveyQuestions StronglyDisagree
Disagree Agree StronglyAgree
n
Q3.IhaveastrongpartnershipwithUD. 9.7% 27.9% 39.4% 23.1% 208
Q4.MyrelationshipwithUDinthecommunityisreciprocal;thereisamutualbenefit.
9.3% 22.7% 45.3% 22.7% 203
Q5.Thecommunity-basedresearchUDdoesisbeneficial.
3.0% 14.5% 51.8% 30.7% 199
Q6.IhaveagoodsenseoftheworkUDisdoinginthecommunity.
6.5% 41.9% 39.6% 12.0% 217
Q7.IamawareofthePartnershipforPublicEducationatUD.
10.7% 43.3% 30.7% 15.3% 215
Q8.IamawareofthePartnershipforHealthyCommunitiesatUD.
6.9% 20.5% 41.1% 31.5% 219
Q9.IamawareofthePartnershipforArtsandCultureatUD.
11.9% 54.5% 25.1% 8.5% 211
Q10.IknowhowtogetintouchwithaUniversityemployeecapableofhelpingwithmycommunityneeds.
10.7% 36.3% 30.7% 22.3% 215
Q11.ItiseasytohostacommunitymeetingoreventataUD-ownedfacility.
20.1% 41.8% 23.9% 14.2% 134
Q12.ProfessorsatUDcommunity-minded.
6.8% 29.4% 47.4% 16.4% 177
Q13.UDsupportsartsandculturalactivitiesinthestate.
2.3% 15.6% 67.1% 15.0% 167
Q14.UDsupportsK-12educationinthestate.
7.0% 14.6% 57.3% 21.1% 171
Q15.UDsupportscommunity-basedpublichealthinthestate.
4.1% 13.7% 53.2% 28.9% 197
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 31 of 36
Q16.UDisatrustworthypartnerinthecommunity.
8.0% 22.2% 44.8% 25.0% 212
Q17.EquitymatterstoUDwhenitcomestoitscommunitywork.
5.8% 28.9% 42.1% 23.2% 190
Q18.UDiscollaborativeinitsapproachtoworkingwiththecommunity.
9.7% 27.5% 44.4% 18.4% 207
Q19.UDemployeesarenotawareoftheworkthatitsownUniversityisdoinginthecommunity.
4.1% 27.8% 55.8% 12.4% 145
Q20.UDdoesnotunderstandthecriticalorunmetneedsofcommunitiesinDelaware.
5.6% 41.1% 33.0% 20.3% 197
Q21.UDtakesadvantageofthecommunity.
11.3% 46.2% 27.2% 15.4% 195
Q22.UDoftenprovidesscientificevidenceforpolicyinDelaware.
3.3% 15.7% 60.1% 20.9% 178
Q23.UDhashelpedtoimprovecommunityeconomicdevelopmentinthestateofDelaware.
7.6% 22.9% 50.6% 18.8% 170
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 32 of 36
Table5
ExtentofEngagementwithUDinthePastYear
PleaseanswerthefollowingquestionsabouttheextentofyourengagementwithUDinthepastyear.
SurveyQuestions Mean Mode StandardDeviation
Min/Max n
Q24.Inthepast12months,howmanyUD-hostedmeetingsoreventshaveyouattended?
4.82 0 15.414 0/221 214
Q25.Inthepast12months,abouthowmanyprojects,grantsorprogramssupportedbytheUniversityofDelawarewereyouengagedin?
1.87 0 2.666 0/25 214
Q26.Inthepastyear,abouthowmanydifferentUDfaculty,stafforstudentshaveyoumetorworkedwith?
17.26 4 45.651 0/400 214
Q27.Estimatingindollars,whatfinancialbenefithasyourengagementwithUDresultedin?
$195,952.29 $0 $2,616,319.69 $0/$38,000,000 214
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 33 of 36
Table6
Open-EndedFeedbackCategoriesandThemes
Category Theme
StrengthsofCommunityEngagementatUD
UDActivelyEngageswiththeSurroundingCommunity
CommunityPartnersWanttoBecomeInvolvedinCommunityEngagementOpportunities
WeaknessesofCommunityEngagementatUD
UDNeedstoCommittoLong-termCommunityEngagement,EspeciallywithMarginalizedCommunitiesOutsideoftheUDCampus
CommunityPartnersareUnawareofCommunityEngagementActivitiesandWouldLikeMoreInformationabouttheWorkUDisDoinganditsImpact
LackofUnderstandingofCommunity’sNeeds
AdvertisementofCommunityEngagementNeedsImprovement
LackofInitiativesRelatedtoDiversityandInclusion
LackofEngagementintheSurroundingCommunitiesBarrierstoCommunityEngagementatUD
EconomicsofBecomingInvolvedandBuildingUse
LimitsonStudentParticipation
InstitutionalBarriersforCommunityEngagement
RecommendationstoOvercomeBarriersandImproveCommunityEngagementatUD
IncreaseParticipationbyEngagingwithAdditionalOrganizations
ExpandCommunityOutreachtoAllRegionsandinSupportofUnder-ResourcedCommunitiesinDelaware
ImproveAdvertisingofCommunityEngagement
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 34 of 36
IncreaseFundingforCommunityEngagementSurveyToolSuggestions
IncludeaNeutralOptionforSurveyQuestions
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 35 of 36
APPENDIX CommunityPartnerSurvey
Aspartofitscommitmenttocivicengagement,theUniversityofDelaware(UD)wouldlikeyourfeedbackaboutitscommunitywork.ResultswillbeincorporatedintofutureprogressreportsaboutUDcivicandcommunityengagementandusedtoguideplanningefforts.Thesurveywilltakelessthan5minutestocompleteandhasjust3easy-clickthroughpages.Thankyouforsharingyourthoughtsandperspectiveswithus.
Q1.Onascaleof1to10where1ispoorand10isexcellent,howwouldyourateUD’scommunityengagementwork?
Q2.Inthepastyear,hasyourattitudetowardUD’sworkinthecommunityimproved,declinedorstayedthesame?
❏ Declined❏ Stayedthesame❏ Improved
Thinkingaboutyourexperienceoverthepast12months,towhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements:Indicatehowstronglyyouagreewiththefollowingstatementsona1-4scalewith1being“Stronglydisagree”,2“disagree”,3“agree”,4“Stronglyagree”.Q3.IhaveastrongpartnershipwithUD.Q4.MyrelationshipwithUDinthecommunityisreciprocal;thereisamutualbenefit.Q5.Thecommunity-basedresearchUDdoesisbeneficial.Q6.IhaveagoodsenseoftheworkUDisdoinginthecommunity.Q7.IamawareofthePartnershipforPublicEducationatUD.Q8.IamawareofthePartnershipforHealthyCommunitiesatUD.Q9.IamawareofthePartnershipforArtsandCultureatUD.Q10.IknowhowtogetintouchwithaUniversityemployeecapableofhelpingwithmycommunityneeds.Q11.ItiseasytohostacommunitymeetingoreventataUD-ownedfacility.
Thinkingaboutyourexperienceoverthepast12months,towhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatementsregardinggeneralcommunityengagementandperceptions?Indicatehowstronglyyouagreewiththefollowingstatementsona1-4scalewith1being“Stronglydisagree”,2“disagree”,3“agree”,4“Stronglyagree”.Q12.ProfessorsatUDcommunity-mindedQ13.UDsupportsartsandculturalactivitiesinthestate.Q14.UDsupportsK-12educationinthestate.Q15.UDsupportscommunity-basedpublichealthinthestate.Q16.UDisatrustworthypartnerinthecommunity.Q17.EquitymatterstoUDwhenitcomestoitscommunitywork.Q18.UDiscollaborativeinitsapproachtoworkingwiththecommunity.Q19.UDemployeesarenotawareoftheworkthatitsownUniversityisdoinginthecommunity.Q20.UDdoesnotunderstandthecriticalorunmetneedsofcommunitiesinDelaware.Q21.UDtakesadvantageofthecommunity.Q22.UDoftenprovidesscientificevidenceforpolicyinDelaware.Q23.UDhashelpedtoimprovecommunityeconomicdevelopmentinthestateofDelaware.
Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/Page 36 of 36
PleaseanswerthefollowingquestionsabouttheextentofyourengagementwithUDinthepastyear.Q24.Inthepast12months,howmanyUD-hostedmeetingsoreventshaveyouattended?Q25.Inthepast12months,abouthowmanyprojects,grantsorprogramssupportedbytheUniversityofDelawarewereyouengagedin?Q26.Inthepastyear,abouthowmanydifferentUDfaculty,stafforstudentshaveyoumetorworkedwith?Q27.Estimatingindollars,whatfinancialbenefithasyourengagementwithUDresultedin?Q28.Pleaseprovideanyadditionalthoughts,adviceorfeedbackyouhaveaboutUDscommunityengagementhere.Pleaseanswerthefollowingquestionsaboutyourself.Thesequestionswillconcludethesurvey.Q29.Whatisyourprimarybusiness/organizationalzipcode?Q30.Whatsectordoesyourprimarybusiness/organizationfallinto?
❏ Non-Profit❏ PreK–12Education❏ HigherEducation❏ Corporate❏ Volunteer❏ Government
Q31.Whatisthemainareaofinterestforyourprimarybusiness/organization?
❏ Arts❏ PreK–12Education/YouthProgramming❏ HigherEducation❏ Health❏ Environment❏ Agriculture❏ Policy❏ EconomicDevelopment❏ CriminalJustice❏ JobTraining❏ CommunityOrganizing❏ Other
Q32.HowmanyyearshaveyouworkedonprojectsorinpartnershipwithUD?