Understanding Perceptions of University of Delaware’s ......community engagement opportunities....

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/ 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.


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.


Basedonthesefindings,weproviderecommendationsandreflectionstostrengthenUD’scommunityengagementeffortsaspartofUD’scommitmenttoitsCarnegieFoundationfortheAdvancementofTeachingdesignation:

1. Clarifyandexpandawarenessofwhatcommunityengagementis,whyitisvalued,andhowitcanlookacrosscollegesanddepartments,aswellasstudentgroups.

2. ConsideraregularcommunityengagementfeatureonDelawarepublicradioandinTheNewsJournal.

3. Identifyonecentralweb-basedlocationwherecommunityengagementactivitiesandopportunitiesacrosstheUniversitycanbelocated.

4. Clarifyhowcommunitypartnerscanworkincoordinationwithandgainsupportfromestablishedpartnerships.

5. ExpandoutreachtoallregionsofDelawareandengagesatellitecampusesincommunityengagementefforts.

6. Evaluatenewengagementprojectsinconjunctionwithcommunitypartnerstofocuseffortsonaddressingunmetcommunityneeds.

7. Transformcommunityengagementtobetteralignandprioritizecommunityinterestswithuniversityexpertiseandresources.


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.


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


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.


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


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.


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.


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.


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%,


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.


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).


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.”


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?”


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.”


“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.”


“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.”


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


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.”


“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


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


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


furtherenhanceourunderstandingbeyondamorebroad-basedpictureofcommunityengagement.ThechallengesandsuccessesidentifiedwithinthisandotherstakeholderreportsrecognizetheimportantroleofthisdatacollectionasacommitmenttotheincreasedscopeofcommunityengagedworkatUD,instartingmoreconversationsaroundcommunityengagementandusingdataanalysisinbroaderways.


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


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%


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%


Table3

AttitudeTowardUD’sWorkintheCommunityinthePastYear

Q2.Inthepastyear,hasyourattitudetowardUD’sworkinthecommunityimproved,declined,orstayedthesame(n=225)

ResponseOptions Percent

Improved 34.7%

StayedtheSame 51.1%

Declined 14.2%


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


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


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


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


IncreaseFundingforCommunityEngagementSurveyToolSuggestions

IncludeaNeutralOptionforSurveyQuestions


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.


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?

Understanding Perceptions of University of Delaware’s ......community engagement opportunities....

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