A qualitative analysis of partnerships between community partners and academic institutions. These studies have found that communities typically value the relationship, interacting with students and professors for new perspectives, enhanced legitimacy, and increased enthusiasm.

1. Reaching Out and Reaching In:
Impacts of a University-Community
Outreach and Engagement Program
Community Development Society
Renaissance—From Vision to Action
Dubuque, IA July 20-23, 2014
Susan Erickson, ASLA

2. PLACE Program
• Partnering Learning and
Community Engagement
– College of Design, 7
academic departments
– Pairs community
development needs with
student academic projects
and faculty research
projects

3. I wonder if some of the students at the University
could help us?

4. Let’s look a little closer

5. And closer
And soon we’ll be making lemonade.

6. Program overview
• Begun in 2000
• 134 projects of record
• Involving 1615 students
• 115 different communities

7. Eventually we asked…
So what?
Let’s investigate PLACE program
impacts.

8. Vocabulary anarchy!
• Outreach
• Engagement
• Service learning (without the hyphen)
• Service-learning (with the hyphen)
• Participatory Action Research
• Community-based Design/Research
• Experiential Learning
• Participatory Planning and Design

9. Benefit to four primary
audiences
how much do we know about service-
learning?
Students
Faculty
Educational institutions
Communities
(Howard, 2003)

10. And the literature says…..
Very little!
•It’s difficult to study
– Community is complex, many
variables
– Much attribution and contribution,
– Causation???

11. Literature review
– Do with and not for the community
partner Ward & Wolf-Wendell
– Build bridges, don’t burn them
Stoecker & Tryon

12. • What would we hear
if we listened to
community partners
about their
experiences in
partnering with
academic institutions?
–Sandy and Holland, 2006

13. So we asked…and listened
• Qualitative research
– Interviews with community stakeholders
– Randomly selected from projects

14. Findings: raw data

15. Findings: Four data themes
Process Community-
University
Relationship
Outcomes Holistic themes
•Program Structure
•Community-Student
Interaction
•Community
Contributions
•University
Contributions
•Final Report/
Presentation
•Final Document
•Learning Experience
for students
•Community-Professor
Interaction
•Setting Expectations
•Relationship
•Expanded community
capacity
•Use of Final Report
•Enhanced project
legitimacy
•External variables
•Value to community
•Leadership changes
•Benefit to other
entities

16. Theme One: Process
• Program Structure
• Community-Student
Interaction
• Community
Contributions
• University
Contributions
• Final Presentation
• Final Document

17. Process, summary
• Community members were enthusiastic
about impacts of the PLaCE program
• High value on interaction with students,
their enthusiasm, and fresh perspective.
• New ideas/creative designs
• Final presentations are valued

18. Theme Two:
Community-University
Partnership
• A mutually beneficial
relationship:
– Learning Experience for
Students
– Community Development
Assistance for Community

19. Community-University
Partnership, summary
• Relationship with University is valued
• Communities are willing to work with the
academic calendar.
• Interaction with professors can be a
highlight
• Communication is important
• Relationship is strong and worth
maintaining

20. Theme Three: Outcomes
• Expanded Community
Capacity
• Use of Project Report
• Enhanced Legitimacy

21. Outcomes, summary
• Expanded community capacity
• Physical improvements occurred
• Plans were used
• Increased legitimacy internally AND
externally
• 4/17 projects engaged with private design
professionals

22. Holistic themes
• Moving Forward
– Economy is a factor
– Need a strong advocate
• Value to Community
– Balance on benefits
spectrum
– Changes of Leadership
– Report can be helpful
• Benefit to other entities

23. To summarize….
• Direct impacts
– Parks
– Plans
– Signage
– Branding
• Indirect impacts
– Expanded community
capacity
– Enhanced legitimacy
• Internally
• externally
• It’s not easy to find
the impacts, a lot of
inquiry is necessary.
• And sometimes you
have no control over
the impacts….

24. Most important lessons:
• Importance of a
structured program
– Dedicated staff
– Set clear expectations
• Look for a wide range
and diversity of
impacts, direct &
indirect
• Choose partners
carefully
• Reality of external
influences
• Assessment is
important

25. Recommendations
no matter how much information is collected, it is
useless if it is not sent back out. This is perhaps the
most neglected part of assessment (Young, 1998)
A challenge to you!

26. Susan Erickson, ASLA
PLACE Program Coordinator
515.294.1790
susaneri@iastate.edu
Questions?