The increase
in student services and the promotion of entrepreneurship through business development
centers contribute to community renewal by invigorating community leadership
and establishing connection between the institution and its neighbors.
As the
senior director of collaborative programs at Bronx Community College, Gillespie
maintains that once the vision, communication channels, and trust levels are
established, then the collaborative effort can become self-sustaining.
However, he acknowledges the need for continuous dialogue among all collaborative
participants in order to maintain a clear sense of focus. Therefore, leaders
need to be knowledgeable about the collaborative goals, and be patient, open,
and flexible during the partnership process.
One community
college president, Carolyn Grubbs Williams, found that collaborations can prove
to be an asset in addressing community educational concerns. She explains
that the student-centered model relies on partnerships to encourage student
progress throughout the K-16 pipeline. By combining the support of her
office with increased participation in inter-institutional collaborative programs,
Williams brought people together, developed their ideas on education, and disseminated
their shared thoughts on effective learning strategies. Thus, as she demonstrated,
effective leaders need to establish and maintain a shared vision while developing
and reinforcing trust levels among the participants. This involves the
ability to identify and convey the connections between educational, employment,
and community concerns facing an institution’s constituents.
Lundquist
and Nixon suggest that such collaborative efforts ultimately place a spotlight
on student development through the formation of community partnerships, and
the development of new forms of planning and resource allocation. The
Summer Scholars Transfer Institute (SSTI), a collaboration between Santa Ana
College and the University of California, Irvine, prepares students for higher
education by adopting a learner-centered focus (Lundquist and Nixon).
Coalitions among faculty, counselors, and administrators led to shifts in the
organizational structure as well as the development of a new organizational
culture. Compartmentalization of student services and academic affairs
ended as participants reexamined the purpose of resource and program development
and shifted to a learner-centered focus. This effort established a culture
that promoted collective responsibility for access and equity.
The assessment process used to examine the Ford Foundation’s Urban Partnership Program included both quantitative and qualitative components. Rendon, Gans, and Calleroz examined the level of systemic change that occurred and how it affected student outcomes. Their assessment also served to inform others of the factors that contribute to the success or failure of collaborative efforts. They note that assessment is most useful when seen as an informative, rather than judgmental, tool. The assessment staff also needs to involve local evaluation experts and members of the collaborative effort. As in any collaboration, ideas need to be continuously exchanged and reviewed. In the end, assessment needs to be integrated and established as a permanent part of the partnership.
An assessment
of any collaborative project can further inspire participants’ commitment.
Successful student outcomes make the benefits of these efforts tangible.
Williams notes that the on-going assessment of the Los Angeles Partners Advocating
Student Success helps the group maintain their credibility and reminds the collaborative
partners of the organization’s goal to increase the educational prospects of
students in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Lundquist,
S. & Nixon, J.S. The partnership paradigm: Collaboration and the community
college. (pp. 43-50).
Rendon, L.I., Gans, W.L., & Calleroz, M.D. No pain,
no gain: The learning curve in assessing collaboratives. (pp. 71-84).
Williams, C.G. The collaborative leader. (pp.
51-56).
Wright, L.V. & Middleberg, R. Lessons
from a long-term collaboration. (pp. 5-12).
The ERIC Clearinghouse is administered by the National Library of Education and operates under the OERI Contract No. ED-99-CO-0010. The opinions expressed in this Digest do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of OERI and no official endorsement by OERI should be inferred.
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