Long-Term Goal 5: Active Community Engagement. Achieve an integral and indispensable relationship with Illinois and the St. Louis metropolitan area; work cooperatively within SIU to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
1. Data Sources for Measuring Achievement of Long-Term Goal 5:
SIUE has a variety of measures of community engagement. These measures include faculty, student, and alumni reports about their behavior through the UCLA study, the NSSE study, and baccalaureate follow-up studies. Data are also available about alumni living and work patterns, student involvement in cooperative study and internships, attendance at campus events, and external funding for community engagement. The data from these various sources are displayed in Appendix 5.
2. Status in Achieving Long-Term Goal 5:
The University promotes engagement by educating students to be active citizens who choose to live and work productively in the community. As the data in Appendix 5 show, the number of SIUE alumni residing in Illinois and the St. Louis metropolitan area continues to grow. The number of cooperative educational placements jumped from 2% in FY06 to 22% in FY07.
The percent of senior students who plan to or have done community service has been variable, but shows an increase from FY06 (60%) to FY07 (62%). This percentage is similar to, yet still below the NSSE urban consortium average of 66%. In FY07, 56% of SIUE faculty indicated that instilling in students a commitment to community service is important to them (as compared to a peer average of 57%). The FY07 percentage of SIUE seniors who have or will be participating in a practicum, internship, field experience, or clinical assignment has risen since FY03 and is marginally above that of the NSSE urban consortium peers (73% for SIUE vs. 72% for NSSE peers). From the most recent 2000 data, 92% of recent and 90% of older graduates indicate that their college education is important to their community life.
Budgetary constraints have forced the University to more strongly focus its resources on its core educational programs. This has had an impact on resources applied to public service in terms of both total dollars (state and non-state) and staff years (state and non-state). In FY07, both total dollars and staff years have shown a decrease (7% and 10.3%, respectively).
3. Highlights from FY08 in Pursuit of Long-Term Goal 5
Highlights of activities in FY08 in pursuit of Long-Term Goal 5 include:
4. Short-Term Goals and Plans:
Fiscal Year 2009
During FY09, SIUE will focus on the following short-term goals and plans relative to Long-Term Goal 5:
a. Develop and implement the strategic plan for the Office of Educational Outreach including market analysis for undergraduate, graduate and professional opportunities.
Responsibility: Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Program Development, Executive Director of Educational Outreach
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and budget
Rationale: A contemporary educational outreach approach will permit the University to effectively meet the educational needs of off-campus students.
b. Enhance and revise the role of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center by designing and completing innovative partnership agreements with corporate partners.
Responsibility: Chancellor, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Director of University Park, Director of NCERC
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and budget and renewable fuels grant
Rationale: Enhance operations of University Park facilities including the Biotechnology Laboratory Incubator and the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center as well as technology centers such as the Southwestern Illinois Advanced Manufacturing Center to support regional technology needs.
c. Continue ongoing partnership between the academic units and the East St. Louis Center to support and develop programming for at-risk students, including effective college recruiting initiatives.
Responsibility: Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Director of East St. Louis Center, Academic Deans
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and budget
Rationale: The mission of the University is better served through a strong partnership between the academic units and the East St. Louis Center.
d. Develop a Voter Registration Program for the national election
Responsibility: Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and budget
Rationale: To foster civic responsibility
e. Implement the third annual SIUE Day in cooperation with the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon Chamber of Commerce, with the assistance of 150 volunteers, to support outreach to local businesses.
Responsibility: Vice Chancellor for University Relations, Director of Annual Giving
Source of Funds: Existing staff time and expanded volunteer participation
Rationale: Increased local business participation will lead to greater good will in the community.
n. Refine the new “Community Connection” publication that is inserted into Chamber of Commerce newcomer’s packets.
Responsibility: Vice Chancellor for University Relations, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications
Source of Funds: Existing staff time
Rationale: Increased local appreciation and understanding of ways to engage with SIUE.