Community Outreach, Annual Report

Shared

GOLD

Community Outreach Annual Report 2017-18

Shared GOLD: It’s the expression that Western

Michigan University uses to describe the rich bond that unites the University with an expansive range of individuals and organizations in the Kalamazoo area and beyond.

It’s also the name of WMU’s civic action plan—a plan created in early 2017 by a group of over 20 community members, students, faculty, and staff that aims to better foster civic engagement, social responsibility, and shared prosperity in the community.

And, it’s a spirit that you’ll find reflected in this document: The Office of Community Outreach’s 2017-18 Annual Report.

Over the past fiscal year, WMU students, faculty and staff have supported thousands of community outreach and engagement activities that are occurring in conjunction with curricular learning experiences, co-curricular programs and university-community partnerships.

This report aims to provide you with a sense of both the scope and the impact of these activities and also evidence of the way in which our Shared Gold civic action plan has been implemented in its first year.

In this report, you’ll read about a number of these activities—many of which focus on our ongoing collaboration with the City of Kalamazoo and its various neighborhoods. In fact, our own civic action planning and implementation process has coincided with the City of Kalamazoo’s Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 master planning process, allowing WMU to imagine itself as a better neighbor to the 21 other neighborhoods in the City of Kalamazoo.

I hope that you enjoy this inaugural issue of the Office of Community Outreach’s Annual Report and that you’ll consider partnering with us in the future to forge mutually beneficial relationships and advance Shared Gold.

Bob Miller Associate Vice President Office of Community Outreach

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Goal 1 | Locating our networks Objective | Locating networks in digital space

Geo-map plots community engagement

In fall 2017, members of the Shared Gold Implementation Team—some 30 faculty, staff, administrators, students and community partners—convened to begin the process of emboldening and increasing WMU’s community engagement initiatives. Early in the meeting, discussion focused upon an acute problem experienced by many members of the team—a difficultly capturing and conveying the scope of WMU’s community engagement efforts.

Given the size of the University and the expansiveness of its engagement initiatives (see page 20), team members wondered: How can we meaningfully represent our community engagement work for use by University stakeholders?

In the weeks that followed, members of the team set out in search of a tool that would help them solve the problem. They located a specialized software program that would allow them to create an interactive digital map—called a geo-map—of WMU’s community engagement work. One of the team members took the initiative to lead the creation of this

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geo-map—an undergraduate student named Luis Peña. Peña, who is majoring in rhetoric and writing studies and minoring in music, recognized the power of the geo-map to recognize and celebrate the discovery-driven and engaged students, staff and faculty who are becoming involved in communities around the world.

Working closely with Jason Glatz, maps specialist for University Libraries, and with support from the Department of Geography, Peña first audited existing geo-mapping

Dr. Brian Gogan, Shared Gold faculty fellow, and Luis Peña.

projects involving WMU, including one that inventories every tree on campus, one that defines the boundaries of University-owned land, and one that tracks the individuals served

by WMU’s Unified Clinics. Next, Peña created four prototype geo-maps, each with its own unique design. From these four prototypes, the

Shared Gold Implementation Team selected one design. Pressing forward with the selected design, Peña drew upon his knowledge of HTML (a computer coding language) to finetune the design of the map and further test its functionality. The auditing, prototyping, testing, and even the computer coding are all skills that Peña hopes to apply to his future career as a technical writer and content developer.

PLOTTING TOUCHPOINTS Currently, Peña is working with Jennifer Harrison, assistant professor of social work, Alicia Billini, doctoral student in educational leadership organizational analysis, and Brian Gogan, associate professor of English, to populate the geo-map with information about WMU’s community engagement work during the 2017-18 fiscal year.

The geo-map, which will be updated throughout October 2018, is available here: wmich.edu/community/geomap.

The preliminary mappings have, indeed, been both surprising and useful. Peña was most surprised by the simplicity and the intuitiveness of the geo-map display. “Geo-map users are prompted to click the data points on the map,” explains Peña, “and this prompting occurs visually, as the user is drawn to the points, wondering what they represent.” By inviting users to traverse the terrain of WMU engagement, the geo-map brings recognition to every point of collaboration, cooperation and partnership that it displays. To be sure, there is an immense usefulness to this functionality.

Peña is quick to acknowledge that the very detailed display of the geo-map positions every community partner, student, staff and faculty member as a co-creator of the geomap—as the map is only as good as the points that are plotted on it. Peña’s own point is well taken as the lead navigator of this geomapping endeavor.

Peña says the geo-map is intended to be used by both external and internal stakeholders.

For individuals external to the University, the geo-map can promote an awareness about the kinds of community partnerships in which WMU regularly engages. This awareness might, in turn, assist community members who are seeking out particular kinds of partnership with WMU. For individuals internal to the University, the geo-map offers an official record of one year’s worth of engagement initiatives and fosters awareness of the expansiveness of the University’s community engagement efforts.

This awareness will hopefully encourage more collaboration, additional partnerships, and an increased impact on the community.

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Goal 1 | Locating our networks Objective | Locating networks in physical space

Impressive market potential for mixed-use incubator When an international consultancy with over 20 years of experience states that it is impressed with a proposed community-university project, it is time to get excited. And, indeed, excitement is growing around a proposal to develop a mixed-use business incubator in Kalamazoo.

While the logistics of incubator—including its location and tenant profile—have yet to be articulated, a recent feasibility report authored by the Greenwood Consulting Group documents that Kalamazoo residents very much desire an incubator and that the market very much could use an incubator. Jim Greenwood, president, reported “We cannot recall a prior project in which we were as impressed with the market potential as we are for the proposed Kalamazoo mixed-use business incubator.”

Western Michigan University is teaming up with the City of Kalamazoo, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and several other key partners to help realize this potential.

To date, WMU’s Office of Community Outreach, the WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine Innovation Center (located in the WMU Business Technology and Research Park), as well as the Small Business Development Center and WMU Starting Gate (both hosted by the Haworth 4

College of Business) have signed on to be resources for the proposed Kalamazoo mixeduse business incubator.

Additionally, the State of Michigan Small Business Development Center office and LISC have both pledged financial support to increase the capacity of WMU to be a resource for the potential start-up companies that would be located in the incubator. Faculty from the WMU Haworth College of Business have already published research on the project.

“This is another example of faculty, staff, and students coming together in support of a community-based project in a mutually beneficial way,” said Bob Miller, WMU associate vice pesident for Community Outreach.

With the feasibility study completed, the proposal now moves into its second phase, which involves a site and space survey—all the more cause for excitement.

Learn more: wmich.edu/community/incubator

Goal 2 | Articulating our shared agendas Objective | Promoting multidirectional benefits

Shared prosperity nets benefits for all What if Kalamazoo was a community where everyone—every child and every adult—thrives and prospers?

This is the question posed by Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo, an initiative launched

by Kalamazoo City Commissioner and Western Michigan University faculty member Don Cooney and Tim Ready, director of WMU’s Lewis Walker Institute.

The goal of Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo is to transform the Kalamazoo community into a place where residents won’t be left behind as a result of poverty and unequal opportunity.

WMU’s Office of Community Outreach is partnering with Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo to help realize this goal on two fronts.

First, over the past year, Bob Miller, WMU’s associate vice president for Community Outreach, has served on a Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo work group focused on generating access to well-paying jobs for Kalamazoo residents. This work group is comprised of a diverse group of individuals representing large and small businesses, non-profits, government agencies, the education sector, neighborhoods, and more.

Second, the WMU Office of Community Outreach has laid the groundwork for a partnership that will provide all WMU students with the opportunity to advance the work of Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo beginning in fall 2018. This partnership connects Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo with WMU Signature, the University’s co-curricular transcript program that facilitates student learning beyond the classroom.

As part of the WMU Signature program, students eventually declare a signature pathway. With the start of the 2018-19 academic year, two such pathways—civic engagement and social justice—will feature volunteer experiences that align with ongoing Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo initiatives.

“The opportunity to partner with WMU Signature is a win-win for SPK and Western students,” said Professor Cooney. “SPK gets a cadre of much-needed volunteers to engage with the city’s neighborhoods, where the hoped-for outcomes of SPK are needed most. Students will have experiential learning opportunities that will not only add to their education, but will allow them to help make a difference in Kalamazoo.”

By sharing our energy and insight, our students and our faculty, WMU’s Office of Community Outreach hopes to realize our shared vision for shared prosperity.

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Goal 2 | Articulating our shared agendas Objective | Promoting multidirectional benefits

Connecting college students with downtown Kalamazoo

For years, the restaurants and retailers that populate Kalamazoo’s downtown area have desired to see a stronger college student presence—especially from students under 21 years old—at their tables and in their stores.

This desire only increased when a recent retail analysis commissioned for the downtown area noted significant unrealized potential in the spending of student consumers between 18 and 21 years of age.

The desire was so strong, in fact, that Downtown Kalamazoo Incorporated, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that downtown Kalamazoo businesses thrive, has for many years bussed 1,200 first-year students into the downtown area at the beginning of each fall term as part of Western Michigan University’s Fall Welcome week. The goal of this excursion was to introduce new students to the business offerings of downtown Kalamazoo—offerings that sit just one mile away from main campus.

And, to keep these students coming back to the downtown area, many retailers and restaurateurs offer current WMU students discount incentives.

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Still, the effectiveness of the event programming and the discount incentives were unclear.

According to Sue Huggett, the marketing and engagement manager for DKI, the question of effectiveness lingered for downtown area businesses that wondered “why we didn’t see more student involvement and presence” as a result of these efforts.

To look into strategies for improving college student involvement in the downtown Kalamazoo area and for tapping into the power of student spending, DKI partnered with WMU professor Dr. JoAnn Atkin’s spring 2018 undergraduate marketing research course.

The goal of the partnership was, as Huggett explains, to push beyond hunches about student involvement and presence and obtain “tangible evidence” and “research” about college-student consumer behavior.

This goal matched well with Atkin’s approach to teaching. Atkin, who has a strong track record of working on marketing projects with local businesses and organizations through the WMU Business Connection office, believes in applied learning and teaching. Students receive a more valuable educational experience when they “take textbook knowledge and concepts and apply those to a current marketing challenge faced by organizations.” This applied approach enhances student learning and it provides organizations with useful information upon which they can act.

Working with DKI, Atkin planned a multi-stage research project that tasked her 37 students with conducting an in-depth interview and

“I hope that this partnership enables DKI to determine lutions and encourages WMU students to get more involved in downtown Kalamazoo.” Brandon Chidester, WMU senior

“I was very excited to work on this project and learned so much through this partnership, thanks to DKI and Dr. Atkin.”

Natalie Nave, Wmu student

“this partnership has made a huge impact on me and my future as well as the future of downtown Kalamazoo.”

Lalsang Sawnset, Wmu student

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Goal 2 | Articulating our shared agendas Objective | Promoting multidirectional benefits

administering an online survey to members of the targeted population—individuals currently enrolled in two- to four-year public or private institutions of higher education with close proximity to downtown Kalamazoo. The interview/survey group included students from

of the project as the most transformative for students, noting that, as students begin to work with the data they “start seeing how different types of consumers have different perceptions and behaviors, and thus may lead to different marketing strategy recommendations.” But this transformative stage of the project was also the stage at which Atkin’s expert guidance was critical. Translating initial insights into actionable research results required Atkin to work closely with her students as they developed and refined their research-based recommendations.

Findings The results of the study yielded a more complete picture of Kalamazoo-area college-student consumer behavior.

The data showed that the target market was aware of the downtown Kalamazoo area, but three primary factors were prohibitive to their involvement with it.

WMU, Kalamazoo College and Kalamazoo Valley Community College. The interview and survey were designed to obtain college-student perspectives, perceptions and behaviors toward downtown Kalamazoo retail, restaurant and entertainment options.

Methods Not only did the student researchers collect the interview and survey data, they also analyzed this data to identify consumer trends.

By digging through a considerably sized data set that included the information collected by their peers, students gained important marketing insight. Atkin identified this phase

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First, the data indicated that, in spite of the close proximity between WMU’s main campus and the downtown area, the students cited transportation as a deterrent to their presence in downtown.

Respondents felt that retail stores and restaurants closer to where they lived fulfilled their needs as well as the downtown businesses, which were farther away from their residence.

Second, the data suggested that students sought shopping opportunities different from the majority of the opportunities available in downtown. Respondents sought goods from retailers that did not have a presence downtown.

Third, the data confirmed that tight budgets limit college student involvement with downtown Kalamazoo businesses. Interestingly, the data revealed that students were largely

unaware of the discount incentive programs offered by downtown area businesses specifically designed to alleviate some cost burden for college-going consumers.

In response to the study, DKI has already begun to take action to address the concerns documented by the marketing research course and those concerns voiced through the City of Kalamazoo’s Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 master planning process. For instance, work to improve the pedestrian walkways and bike paths into the downtown area is ongoing.

The aim of these improvements is to offer multiple transportation options to consumers and to instill confidence in those consumers, no matter which transportation option they choose. To provide college-going consumers with more shopping options and develop future business, DKI recently hired a vice president of business development. The organization has ramped up its messaging efforts to better and more regularly communicate with students.

And, finally, it has begun to re-envision the Fall Welcome week event that bussed 1,200 new students into downtown. The initial concept is to stretch this one-day event into a month-long homecoming celebration that includes students from all area colleges and high schools as well as their families.

professional and who Atkin described as intrinsically invested in the project, also were encouraged by the potential impact their work might have on the downtown Kalamazoo area and on other University students.

One of the students in Atkin’s class, Brandon Chidester, a senior and member of WMU’s Sales and Business Marketing Association, shares this sentiment as well, expressing his hope that this partnership enabled “Downtown Kalamazoo Incorporated to determine solutions” and encouraged “WMU students to get more involved in downtown Kalamazoo.”

Another student, Lalsang Sawnset concurs, stating that “this partnership has made a huge impact on me and my future” as well as the future of downtown Kalamazoo.

This kind of solution-oriented, impact-driven partnership undertaken by DKI and WMU, spearheaded by Sue Huggett and Dr. JoAnn Atkin, and involving Brandon Chidester, Lalsang Sawnset, and three dozen of their peers, is Shared Gold.

Impact This action—change that has been sparked by a student research project—is the lasting impact that is meaningful not only to the downtown area, but also to Atkin and her students. Atkin, for one, anticipates the project will impact the downtown area through DKI’s implementation of the various recommendations, as well as by opening up future partnerships with other courses and future internship opportunities for WMU students. The marketing research students, who Huggett praised as extremely

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Goal 3 | Empowering members of our networks to positively impact our community Objective | Maximize responsible action

Collective effort attracts 4,000 for Earth Day Festival

Every year since 1970, Earth Day celebrations have been held around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for the environment.

For the past two years, dozens of community members have joined a group of Western Michigan University students and faculty to stage the first significant downtown Kalamazoo celebrations of Earth Day in recent years.

The student anti-Vietnam-war movement, “teach-ins,” and a massive oil spill in California inspired the first Earth Day celebrations, and put environmental protection on the national agenda. By the end of 1970, Earth Day mobilization led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.

The same spirit of protecting the earth inspired organizers of the Kalamazoo Earth Day Festival.

Members of the planning committee were alarmed about the rapidly increasing impacts and dangers of climate change and the urgent

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need for more public education and action.

While the 2017 Kalamazoo Earth Day Festival focused on climate change and its theme was “Make a Promise to the Earth,” the 2018 Kalamazoo Earth Day Festival adopted the theme “Protect Our Water” in response to the water crisis in Flint and the danger of oil pipelines running under Lake Michigan.

The 2018 Kalamazoo Earth Day Festival attracted some 4,000 individuals to Bronson Park and featured music and performance art, visual art, public speakers, electric car displays, youth activities, food trucks, and more than 70 booths staffed by local organizations, companies, and political campaigns concerned about the environment.“Everyone had a great time, and we all learned about what local organizations are doing to protect the earth,” said Earth Day committee member Hillary Rettig, of Vegan Kalamazoo.

Musical and Performance Art Musicians, storytellers and performance actors donated their time and talents to the festival.

Second-grade students from Kalamazoo Public Schools’ bilingual El Sol Elementary School sang water-themed songs in English and Spanish. Orchestra Rouh, a classical music group composed of refugee children, performed at the Kalamazoo Public Library.

Visual Art Artwork from local students and artists adorned the event. Kalamazoo Public School student artists from El Sol and Woodward elementary schools created environmentally themed art for display in the park. Members of the WMU Climate Change Working Group partnered with local artist, Bonus Saves, to create two powerful climate change murals displayed in the park. These 75-foot-long by four-foot-high murals illustrated the anticipated consequences of unchecked global warming and provided specific strategies Earth Day attendees could take to address the problem. “The murals were both an educational effort and a direct statement against making America the only country not party to the Paris Agreement—an agreement signed, by the way, on Earth Day, 2016,” said Dr. Allen Webb, WMU professor of English and chair of the Earth Day Committee.

Public Speakers University professors, environmental activists, clergy, community leaders, Native Americans and congressional candidates all took to the Bronson Park stage to speak about the importance of protecting the environment. The 2018 Kalamazoo Earth Day Festival also included a speaker series hosted by the Kalamazoo Public Library that featured Bell’s Brewery Sustainability Manager Walter Modic; Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation representative Karen Turnbull; Better World Builders President Mark Lee; and, WMU professor of biological sciences, David Karowe.

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Goal 3 | Empowering members of our networks to positively impact our community Objective | Maximize responsible action

Transportation Displays Concern about the environment further inspired an emphasis on electric cars and public transportation. The Kalamazoo Electric Car Club and local car dealers brought a dozen electric cars for display and test drives. For the 2018 festival, Metro Transit parked a biodiesel bus near the park that families could explore.

“People were amazed how attractive—and how quiet—the electric cars were!” said Ginger Miller, Earth Day committee member and member of the Sierra Club.

“WMU students feel strongly that more attention needs to be paid to our whole community to minimize the impact of climate change,” said Samantha Haack, community involvement chair for the Western Student Association.

Youth Activities “The kids had a lot of fun,” said Dr. Cindy Pietras, Earth Day committee member and WMU professor of psychology. “They fished plastic out of water, created marine life and coral reef crafts, played endangered habitat musical chairs and climate trivia, enjoyed environmental storytellers, romped in a tent and a

“Kalamazoo Earth Day was also a success on Facebook, reaching over 60 thousand people,” said Ashley Main, the music and social media chair of the 2018 festival, who is dual-enrolled at WMU and Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

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canoe, and walked away with faces painted like animals and free children’s books about water and climate change.”

Broad Support, Strong Sponsorship Many local groups, businesses, and citizens were eager to collaborate in support of the Kalamazoo Earth Day Festival in Bronson Park.

These sponsors included the City of Kalamazoo Parks and Recreation Department, the Kalamazoo Nature Center, WMU’s Sustainability Office and Climate Change Working Group, WMUK, Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center, the Kalamazoo Public Library, the Sierra Club, the Gun Lake Tribe, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Congregation of Moses, and the First Congregational Church.

Corporate sponsors included Meijer, Arcadia Ales, Kalsec, Republic Services, Adams

“In 2018 we had 85 student volunteers both from colleges and high schools,” reported Cece Watry, WMU student and volunteer organizer for the WMU Earth Day Committee.

Advertising, Suzanne’s Organics, Borgess Hospital, Kzoo Swift Bicycles and Sands Chiropractic. “We take pride in our sponsorship of Earth Day” said Mark Lee, president of Better World Builders. “Eliminating energy waste in our housing and commercial buildings is one of the best ways to benefit the environment, while improving the comfort of your home or business.”

Shared Involvement, Lasting Impact The outreach and partnerships that conceived and facilitated the 2017 and 2018 Earth Days in Bronson Park are likely to have a lasting impact on the community: bringing people to environmentally focused organizations; acquainting them with environmentally friendly businesses; and, enhancing awareness of the importance of citizen action to protect the earth. These partnerships involved close connections between WMU students, faculty and community members.

“The community showed a lot of interest in addressing environmental concerns,” said Tim Tesar, who volunteered at a table for the Citizens Climate Lobby. “Earth Day was an educational and environmental action event, as well as a good time.”

“I don’t know when I’ve seen a richer university and community interaction” said Dr. Steve Bertman, WMU professor of environmental studies and Earth Day committee member.

As Bertman’s comments suggest, this ongoing collaboration is as rich as it is meaningful and it is Shared Gold.

The 2018 Kalamazoo Earth Day Festival adopted the theme “Protect Our Water” in response to the water crisis in Flint and the danger of oil pipelines running under Lake Michigan.

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Goal 3 | Empowering members of our networks to positively impact our community Objective | Build community capacity

A budding partnership at Oak Street Garden

As spring made its way across southwest Michigan, so too did 16 graduate students from Western Michigan University’s strategic management course make their way into Kalamazoo’s Oak Street Community Garden.

Under the direction of Dr. Tim Palmer, WMU professor of management, the students arrived in the garden in advance of the growing season ready to embark upon a service-learning project. The group was charged with revitalizing the garden—a community space that features a patio, shed, library, numerous vegetable plots and a variety of flowers. Little did they know, they would be planting the seeds for a hearty partnership between WMU and neighborhood residents.

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The “Dirt” on the community garden project The partnership was initiated by residents of the neighborhood and arranged by WMU’s Office of Service-Learning. Founded in 2010, the Office of Service-Learning pairs professors and students with community members each semester to fulfill course objectives and meet communityidentified needs. Unlike volunteerism, service learning empowers community members, faculty, staff, and students to work together to make change. These projects encourage students to creatively solve real-world issues, and always include a critical reflection component.

Working alongside one another, students and residents spent hours planting, weeding, mulching, preparing vegetable plots, removing old lumber and bricks, and building the framework for a new walkway to the garden shed.

The service-learning garden project was a cumulative experience for Palmer’s students, as it emphasized the importance of resident leadership, neighborhood beautification, relationship building, and community engagement. Palmer has incorporated servicelearning into his courses for several years, and works with numerous nonprofit organizations across Kalamazoo and its surrounding communities. “I integrate service learning into all of the classes I teach,” Palmer said. “Pairing our students with community partners through service learning is critical to help our students understand the rich tapestry that is community.”

“I integrate service-learning into all of the classes I teach,” Palmer said. “Pairing our students with community partners through service-learning is critical to help our students understand the rich tapestry that is community.”

Martha, a resident of the neighborhood surrounding the Oak Street Community Garden, directed and coordinated the garden project. As one of the primary caretakers of the community garden, Martha brought in other residents who worked alongside WMU students to assist with landscaping, organizing, and cleaning the space. Under her guidance, the group accomplished much more than was anticipated in the time allotted.

The Seeds of Community Change Before work on the project began, Martha discussed the importance of connecting WMU and the community, noting that both sides must work together to form a cohesive whole.

She also spoke about the importance of taking pride in one’s community and home, and how seemingly small actions, like beautifying a space, can result in a number of related positive effects.

The students and residents improved the garden’s already inviting atmosphere, enhancing the accessibility and the beauty of the space. The garden is open to all members of the community, books are always stocked in the library, and residents grow their own vegetables in the plots. The shared efforts of all partners is sure to encourage more community participation—more book sharing, flower planting, and vegetable growing—as well a greater sense of community cohesion and a stronger connection between WMU and neighboring communities.

As a result of the partnership, the residents and the students forged relationships, helping the students understand the role of business within a community. Palmer, in fact, makes a deliberate effort to get his students outside of the classroom and into Kalamazoo so that students have the opportunity to see how responsible organizations must both understand and give back to the communities in which they exist. “I firmly believe that businesses can help solve pressing social and environmental challenges,” Palmer said.

“Providing students with the opportunity to work with community members as part of a team allows them to further hone their leadership skills.”

The future of the Oak Street Community Garden and its surrounding area looks promising, as community stakeholders plan to continue the momentum of the project by building on these accomplishments and expanding impact. A committee of WMU and neighborhood stakeholders are now meeting regularly to discuss additional neighborhood improvements and new place-based projects, including major enhancements to city parks and open areas.

Such projects may provide fertile ground from which future service-learning projects may sprout.

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Goal 4 | Celebrating members of our networks for sustained commitment to civic engagement, social responsibility and shared prosperity Objective | Celebrate sustained commitment

Carnegie classification positions WMU as a school of choice In 2010, Western Michigan University applied for and received the Elective Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation. The Carnegie Foundation (which is the organization that for decades has been classifying institutions according to their mission, specialization and degree offerings) established the Community Engagement Classification in 2006 as a means by which institutions of higher education might be recognized for successful collaborations with community stakeholders.

WMU’s classification for Community Engagement serves as a point of distinction that positions the University as a school of choice.

Only 361 institutions nationwide hold this classification, and only 50 of the 361—including WMU—are also classified by the Carnegie

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Foundation as having high research activity.

Among WMU’s 15 peer institutions, only 10 institutions maintain this classification.

The Community Engagement classification functions as a measurement of substantive student success practices, including highimpact practices (e.g., service-learning courses and living-learning communities) and workplace-focused opportunities (e.g., social entrepreneurship ventures and internships).

The application requires an inventory of these student opportunities and more.

Additionally, the Community Engagement classification contributes to the University’s efforts at strategically enacting transformative change and directly supports objectives outlined in the University’s strategic plan, The Gold Standard 2020. Further, the classification signals the University’s efforts in working toward deep and pervasive change through community engagement.

The Elective Community Engagement Classification is active for 10 years, and WMU’s efforts to attain reclassification for 2020 have been initiated. Data collection for the application will focus on FY 2017-18 engagement and data collection efforts are underway. The application will be submitted in early 2019.

Strategy and Implementation The Shared Gold Civic Action Plan targets engagement, responsibility and prosperity to support and encourage the University in building strategic community health, wealth, educational and cultural networks. The development and implementation of the plan (abbreviated below) directly supports strategy 3.3a in the University’s Strategic Plan, The Gold Standard 2020; yet, the plan’s four major goal areas and 14 objectives further support other areas of The Gold Standard 2020. During the past year, members of our network have been busy working to meet these objectives, and a synopsis of our work can be found under each respective objective.

Goal 1 | Locating Our Networks Western Michigan University will work to locate initiatives across institutional, physical, digital and interpersonal spaces.

Objective 1.1 | To locate our networks in institutional space, we have: Convened dozens of project-based, community engagement coordination meetings with members of the University community, striving toward achieving strategy 3.3c in The Gold Standard 2020.

Objective 1.2 | To locate our networks in physical space, we have: Advanced efforts to create a mixed-use business incubator in Kalamazoo. These efforts are profiled on page 4 of this report and are coordinated with strategy 5.5b of The Gold Standard 2020.

Objective 1.3 | To locate our networks in digital space, we have: Created a geo-map of the University’s community engagement work for the 2017-18 fiscal year. This initiative contributes to strategies 3.3c-f of The Gold Standard 2020, and is detailed on pages 2 and 3 of this report.

Revamped the Office of Community Outreach’s website, so that it functions as the hub for our collective impact network. In doing so, we supported strategy 5.4a of The Gold Standard 2020.

Objective 1.4 | To locate our collective networks in interpersonal space, we have: Launched a “Partner with Us” recruitment campaign that seeks out new community partnerships and new community-based projects. This campaign further contributed to strategy 5.4a of The Gold Standard 2020.

Goal 2 | Articulating Our Shared Agendas Western Michigan University will work with members of our networks to articulate shared agendas, using an iterative process that identifies needs, encourages collaboration and develops multidirectional benefits.

Objective 2.1 | To articulate our shared agendas to address acute needs, we have: Developed a standard, centralized request form that stakeholders can use to articulate requests for University knowledge and resources. This form is available on the Office of Community Outreach website.

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Objective 2.2 | To articulate our shared agendas to coordinate action among network members, we have: Laid the foundation for a partnership between The University and Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Kalamazoo. The initial arrangement is for WMU to offer a 2019 course that will involve students in the support of this national initiative coordinated by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. This partnership will advance strategies 1.2a and 2.1d of The Gold Standard 2020.

Planned a set of initiatives with the Kalamazoo Education and Employment Promise (KEEP) to expand the resources available to Kalamazoo County high school students as they seek post-secondary educational and employment opportunities. These initiatives will contribute to strategies 1.3b and 2.1d of The Gold Standard 2020.

Objective 2.3 | To articulate our shared agendas to promote multidirectional benefits, we have: Established a memorandum of understanding with Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo. This memorandum of understanding supports the work detailed on page 5 of this report.

This memorandum will support work related to strategies 3.2c, 3.2d, and 3.3f of The Gold Standard 2020.

Executed a memorandum of understanding with the City of Kalamazoo’s Arcadia neighborhood that resulted in a Sunday morning trash pickup led by members of the Western Student Association and advanced strategies 3.3f and 5.3b of The Gold Standard 2020.

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Executed a memorandum of understanding with Downtown Kalamazoo Incorporated that resulted in a robust marketing research project. This partnership and its deliverables are featured on pages 6–9 of this report and the work helped advance strategies 1.2a through 1.2d, as well as strategy 3.3f of The Gold Standard 2020.

Goal 3 | Empowering Members of Our Networks to Positively Impact Our Community Western Michigan University will empower network members to positively impact the community.

Objective 3.1 | To empower members to act in a way that maximizes responsible action, we have: Sent three University representatives to the Campus Compact 2018 National Conference in March 2018, where they learned cuttingedge community engagement techniques and practices. This activity adds to strategies 4.4c of The Gold Standard 2020.

Sent three representatives to the Fifth International Global Service-Learning Summit in April 2018. At this summit, these representatives received training in best practices designing, implementing, and assessing global-service learning experiences. This activity adds to strategies 1.4c and 4.4c of The Gold Standard 2020.

Objective 3.2 | To empower members to act in a way that capitalizes upon existing institutional assets, we have: Contributed to the downtown Kalamazoo celebration of Earth Day, which involves numerous University entities and personnel and attracted over 4,000 individuals to Bronson Park in April 2018. This celebration is featured on pages 10–13 of this report and attests to the way in which we work to achieve strategies 3.3f, 5.3b, and 5.3d of The Gold Standard 2020.

Objective 3.3 | To empower members to act in a way that builds community capacity, we have: Partnered with community members to revitalize the Oak Street Community Garden.

This partnership is described on pages 14 and 15 of this report and it accomplished significantly more than originally planned. This partnership also contributed to strategies 3.3f, 5.3b, and 5.3d of The Gold Standard 2020.

Collected data—including numbers of students, numbers of project hours, and community partner location—that reflects the scope of our community engagement work over the past fiscal year. This data will help advance strategies 3.1e, 3.3e, and 5.1c of The Gold Standard 2020.

Objective 3.4 | To empower members to act in a way that seeds cutting-edge ideas, we have: Applied for a two-year, $200,000 grant from the Corporation for National Community Service to support a volunteer-focused partnership between the City of Kalamazoo and WMU. Supported a student-led, community-based proposal that requests $5,000 to promote sustainability along Davis Street in Kalamazoo’s Vine neighborhood. The proposal aims to contribute to strategies 5.3b through 5.3e of The Gold Standard 2020.

Goal 4 | Celebrating Members of Our Networks for Sustained Commitment to Civic Engagement, Social Responsibility and Shared Prosperity Western Michigan University will encourage network member commitment by celebrating members’ dedication with awards, designations and additional resources.

Objective 4.1 | To celebrate the sustained commitment of members, we have: Initiated the Carnegie Elective Community Engagement reclassification process by sending a University representative to a reclassification workshop and by beginning the on-campus efforts to complete the application. These efforts are detailed on page 16 of this report and work to support strategy 3.3b of The Gold Standard 2020.

Objective 4.2 | To establish a Civic Engagement pathway in the new WMU Signature program, we have: Championed 39 civic engagement pathway events, which have attracted 474 student attendees. Moreover, the civic engagement pathway has remained the most active during the 2018 summer. This objective advances strategies 1.3a and 3.3f of The Gold Standard 2020.

Objective 4.3 | To celebrate faculty members for their sustained commitment to our networks, we have: Discussed means by which the University might better recognize faculty that engage the community through their teaching, research and service.

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By the Numbers

2017-18 Preliminary Community Engagement Numbers Members of the Shared Gold Implementation Team are spending the summer months collecting, verifying and categorizing Western Michigan University’s community engagement work. The work is extensive, and while a final report won’t be available until fall 2018, the following preliminary numbers suggest that the state of the University’s community engagement is strong.

10,374

$204,129*

An initial number of discrete community engagement opportunities offered to Western Michigan University students this year

The net value of communityuniversity projects proposed by the Shared Gold team to funders

235,000

$5,802,150**

An early sum of community engagement hours invested in the Kalamazoo area and beyond by Western Michigan University students this year

The calculated volunteer equivalency of the time invested by Western Michigan University students in the community

* Proposals to the Corporation for National and Community Service and WMU Office of Sustainability ** Volunteer equivalency calculator: independentsector.org

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Shared Gold Implementation Team Office of Community Outreach Bob Miller • Associate Vice President for Community Outreach Margaret Von Steinen • Executive Assistant Senior, Office of Community Outreach Office of Institutional Effectiveness Jody Brylinsky • Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness Cathe Springsteen • Integrated Program Review and Accreditation College of Arts and Sciences Brian Gogan • Associate Professor, Department of English Faculty Fellow, Office of Institutional Effectiveness Alberta Griffin • Faculty Specialist, School of Public Affairs and Administration President, AGS Data Analytics Consulting, LLC College of Aviation Eric Epplett • Recruitment and Outreach Specialist College of Education and Human Development Marcy Peake • Faculty Specialist I, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Director, Diversity and Community Outreach Initiatives College of Engineering and Applied Science Paul Engelmann • Professor, Department of Engineering Design, Manufacturing and Management Systems Decker Hains • Master Faculty Specialist, Department of Civil and Construction Engineering Senior Design Coordinator College of Fine Arts Nicholas Kuder • Assistant Professor, Frostic School of Art, Graphic Design Director, Design Center College of Health and Human Services Teresa Bingman • Faculty Specialist II, School of Interdisciplinary Health Programs Associate Director, University-Community Empowerment Center Jennifer Harrison • Assistant Professor, School of Social Work

Graduate College Tony Dennis • Director of Graduate Student Recruitment and Retention Haworth College of Business JoAnn Atkin • Associate Professor, Department of Marketing Lisa Garcia • Director of the WMU Business Connection Matthew Ross • Assistant Professor, Department of Finance and Commercial Law Lee Honors College Anthony Helms • Director of Academic Advising Office of Service-Learning Shawn Tenney • Director, Office of Service-Learning WMU Signature Evan Heiser • Director, WMU Signature Office for Sustainability Harold Glasser • Executive Director for Campus Sustainability Undergraduate Students Samantha Hack • WSA Community Outreach Alexis Lenderman • 2017 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellow Entrepreneurship Major, Food Service Administration Major, Global International Studies Major, Nonprofit Leadership Minor Luis Pena • Undergraduate Student, Rhetoric and Writing Studies Major, Music Minor Graduate Student Laura Maria Urdapilleta Rojas • Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology Doctoral Associate, Office of Faculty Development City of Kalamazoo Christina Anderson • City Planner, Community Planning and Development Department

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Partner with Us WMU is committed to developing partnerships that forge mutually beneficial relationships between the community and our students, faculty and staff. We appreciate the opportunity to have (or continue) a meaningful connection with individuals, businesses, non-profits, municipalities, neighborhoods and other organizations.

We value: Strategic business and industry partnerships Helping to build human capital Working to resolve challenges of mutual interest We welcome inquiries about potential partnerships and other community connections via the WMU Community Outreach website: wmich.edu/community/partner.

wmich.edu/community