ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

Creating the New American University

“… There’s this thirst to be something really good, maybe even great…”

- Community Stakeholder

Elite, often religiously-based havens for the creation and study of knowledge.

T H E A C A D E M Y

Gateways - flourishing political, economic, and cultural centers.

T H E C I T Y

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Early Thoughts on Social Embeddedness Leading toward Transformation

September 2005 – May 2006

• Analysis of best practices

• Social Embeddedness Steering Committee; monthly work team meetings

• Presentations and ongoing interviews/meetings

• Development of social embeddedness definition, vision, top level goals, proposed preliminary actions

• Discussions on challenges, solutions, and impacts

• Preliminary review of funding potential; draft of typical foundation proposal

• Development of concepts and timeline for university-wide/community-wide process and implementation

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

D E F I N I T I O N

Social Embeddedness

Core to the development of ASU as the New American University; a university-wide, interactive, and mutually supportive partnership with the communities of Arizona

Social Embeddedness

D E F I N I T I O N

The ongoing integration of five innovative and distinct, yet interrelated actions:

• Community Capacity Building• Teaching and Learning• Economic Development and Investment• Social Development• Research and Discovery

“Good is the enemy of great.”

- Jim Collins

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

What do we mean by great?*

* in relation to ASU’s Social Embeddedness Design Imperative

G R E A T R E S U L T S

• Every resident and business in Maricopa County points to ASU as the all-important asset in the community

• Peer universities see ASU as a top tier research university that has integrated mutually beneficial and supportive community partnerships into teaching, learning, research

• National foundations that support higher education look to ASU for guidance in establishing criteria for university-community partnerships

• The Arizona Legislature and other stakeholders recognize ASU as core to the future of the state

• Measurements show that communities of color and lower-income communities of AZ are faring better than their counterparts in other states (particularly in those areas the university can impact)

• ASU is recognized as central to an increased economic, social, and cultural vitality in the region/state

• ASU is seen as the national exemplar of social embeddedness -- as core to a new kind of university; definition and standards are copied and become increasingly influential

G R E A T R E S U L T S

• Communities of Arizona can better define their own goals for success and can more readily solve problems

• Campus boundaries are diffused: more community in the university; more university in the community

• Phoenix becomes the New American City

• The population of greater Phoenix shows noticeable gains in health, housing, education, and economic vitality

• There is a change in how research is designed, such that affected communities are included in the thinking about the process

G R E A T R E S U L T S

Vision

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

A university that is socially integrated and embedded within its many communities

What will it take to fulfill the social embeddedness design imperative of the

New American University?

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

Goals

• University-wide culture

• Internal structures and reward systems

• Partnerships with communities of Arizona to increase the state’s social capital

• National model for university-community partnership

PoliciesHow does it become university-wide at ASU?

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

U N I V E R S I T Y – W I D E C U L T U R E

• Refine Mission Statement and Strategic Plan

• Actualize the definition (e.g. not one time only; and leaves behind expertise in community, and/or advances social development in community, and/or advances economic development, and is evaluated for outcome and impact for community)

• Integrate the social embeddedness vision and definition in all ASU materials

• Allow ample time for promotion and discussion

• Host speaker series and seminars

• Create evaluation model and tools; encourage cumulative learning and publication

• Develop publication of critical case studies

Internal Structure and Accountability:How will it really work at ASU?

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

I N T E R N A L S T R U C T U R E & A C C O U N T A B I L I T Y

• Support for units to develop college-by-college implementation plans for social embeddedness; accountability through units; ongoing evaluation

• Regular progress reports from Deans/VPs re: units and colleges

• “Review team” to provide guidance (ways for work of units to best meet social embeddedness definition)

• Policies to address non-academic decisionmaking and accountability

• Ongoing “reporting” to community

Curriculum Change:What kind of curriculum changes

should be considered at ASU?

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

C U R R I C U L U M

• Support curriculum changes within colleges through special ‘sabbaticals’ to develop new and to revise existing courses; appoint task force to consider university-wide capstone requirement

• Provide support to colleges to move social embeddedness agenda forward

• Theme-driven university-wide approach (annual decision with community input re: theme(s))

• Course continuity -- as appropriate -- to enable seamless transitions between semesters (and change in students)

• Create Curriculum Innovation Trust

Leadership:Who should drive the train at ASU?

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

L E A D E R S H I P

• President and Provost(s) provide overarching leadership to ensure university-wide expectations and action (“keepers” of qualitative and quantitative measures of success)

• Creation of high level Director position with dual reporting channels – provost to ensure academic validity, president to support mission beyond academic sphere (Director to support college-by-college implementation)

• Network of involvement through the Director to include community and university

• National dialogue (summit, website) / engagement of foundations

Building Understanding:How do you spread the word

to faculty and staff at ASU and to the community ?

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

C L A R I T Y A N D C O N S I S T E N C Y

• Emphasize comprehensive vision of social embeddedness as core to New American University

• Consistent articulation and examples

• Clarify differences between social embeddedness and volunteerism, PR, etc.

• Encourage the teaching of theory of social embeddedness across the curriculum and consider social embeddedness as a component of doctoral programs

C O M M U N I T Y D I A L O G U E

• Communication/update to all initial interviewees (200+/- individuals)

• Group conversations hosted by regional nonprofits

• Visible large scale outreach into communities that surround all ASU campuses to ensure ASU’s goals for communities match goals set by communities themselves

• Community dialogue on findings; joint theme-setting

• Large scale dissemination of information (print/web)

• Increased involvement with nonprofit boards

Create S-E Review Comm

Think ABOUT Arizona

Community/ Campus Outreach Process - DRAFT

Focus groups: Participants organized by reg’l nonprofits

Walk ABOUT Arizona

15,000 Arizona residents (households/focus ASU sites)· Provide information re: ASU/invite to

Jan. event· Ask re: ASU image/Arizona needs

The ASU 1000 ASU students/

faculty/staff

Talk ABOUT Arizona

ASU / Regional Dialogue(s)

Ana

lyze

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200

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Phoenix Tempe

Glendale Mesa

· Present 2007 Focus

· Analyze/ brainstorm ideas/ partnerships

· Disseminate SE publication*/concepts

· Announce Innovation Fund winners

· Introduce ASU “SE Director”

Making Change come ABOUT in Arizona

Think ABOUT Arizona

Focus groups through regional nonprofits

Phoenix

Glendale

Tempe

Mesa

Community/ASU 2007 Theme Committee

Phoenix

Glendale

Tempe

Mesa

Phoenixn

Glendale

Tempe

Mesa

Reps from each of 4

committees

Community/ASU 2007 Theme Committee

Community/ASU 2007 Theme Committee

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Update original interviewees (200+/-) about status/ direction of social embeddedness design imperative

Speaker Series/ Events/ Seminars

Recruit “S-E Director” (reports to Pres/Provost

*Develop publication/printS-E Plan complete (use to recruit Dir.)

- Hire Director

FERN TIGER ASSOCIATES APRIL 11, 2006

G-9Meetings

April

G-9Meetings

May

S-E Adv.Comm.May 22

Develop evaluation tools and process

Develop standards for S-E projects and metrics for S-E at ASU.

Inventory and evaluate existing projects

Sept ‘07ASU Nat’l S-E

Forum

2006 MAY JUN JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN 2007 FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG 2007

- Meet w. units Lead S-E Rev CommAdvise colleges Meet w. NPs/govt Lead/coord “Making Change in AZ” process

Fundraising for S-EFunding Plan for S-E

Confirm Focus/Thematic Area of Concentration for ’07-‘08

Ongoing review of new projects/ unit plans by committee

Speaker Series / Events/ Seminars highlighting S-E

Announce Innovation Fund

for Curric.

F A C U L T Y O U T R E A C H A N D R E W A R D S

• Recognize accomplishments (inc. Insight)

• Reward system (stipends, one-time and/or permanent salary increase, financial incentives or teaching assistants, travel, focused sabbatical program, Regents level professor as exemplar)

• Reduced teaching load (competitive review) to plan for curriculum change

• Presentation of examples and facilitated discussions at college/ school/ department meetings

Branding the Concept:What’s in a name?

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

Sustainability:How do you make it last at ASU?

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

M A K I N G I T L A S T A T A S U

• Not tied to single individual, but consistent support at highest levels of institution

• Unit-driven solutions with accountability and university-wide goals

• Meaningful rewards, incentives, support• Increased attractiveness to core of like –minded

faculty and students; include social embeddedness as a hiring criteria

• Academic focus and validity• Ongoing commitment to evaluation and assessment• Core to the evolution of ASU as the New

American University

A R I Z O N A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y

What can University Council do to implement the recommendations?

• Include social embeddedness definition in materials produced by your unit

• Analyze work currently being done by your unit to assess how it might be transformed to move from serving to empowering

• Schedule conversations with your unit about hoped-for impacts your college, department, center can make

• Consider ways to measure success