Resources for Campus and Community Engagement
Community engagement must start with an informed and prepared approach to ensure success and mutual benefit to those involved. Real change happens at the pace of relationships, and community engagement is no different. Here you’ll find resources to get you started. Let us know if you’re seeking a resource not yet listed here, and we’ll do what we can to assist you.
Training
Getting Started for Students, Staff, & Faculty
- Community Engagement & Social Justice at Ohio University - This short online module focuses on on best practices for impactful and ethical community engagement at Ohio University. It is designed for students, student organization leaders, as well as staff and faculty who are interested in in coordinating service-learning or volunteer projects, fundraisers, and other community-serving opportunities.
- Civic Engagement & Voting: Why it Matters & How to Do it: This short online module is an intro to civic engagement that focuses on:
- Why it is important to participate in elections
- How to register to vote
- The importance of and how to engage in civic dialogue
- And how to exercise rights and responsibilities of citizenship
Community-Engaged Scholars Program
The Community Engaged Scholars program, occurring each Fall Semester, provides OHIO faculty and staff with professional development training on community engagement as a high-impact practice of experiential learning. It is highly recommended that faculty interested in developing C-Courses enroll in this program.
Participants in the program will:
- Learn how community-engaged service-learning can be incorporated into a course curriculum
- Design curricular activities and syllabi for C-Courses
- Engage with community partners and experienced faculty to learn best practices for community engagement locally and globally.
- By participating in interactive workshops, rich discussions, and collaborations with experts, Community Engaged Scholars will develop capacity for community-engaged teaching with transformative curriculum and expertise in community-engaged scholarly activity that strengthens our democracy and contribute to the public good.
Interested? Fill out the Fall 2024 registration form here!
Please contact Faculty Fellow Dr. Mike Kopish at kopish@ohio.edu for more information.
Training Opportunities for Community Organizations
The Center for Campus & Community Engagement at Ohio University aims to support professional development and other capacity-building initiatives for community partners and contribute to vibrant Southeast Ohio communities. We are excited to partner with Nonprofits LEAD at Marietta College to work towards a vision where every nonprofit has the tools, resources, knowledge, and support they need to meet the needs of their community.
To this end, the Center for Campus & Community Engagement has dedicated scholarship funding to sponsor community organizations wishing to participate in Nonprofits LEAD programs or utilize their services.
If you identify as a nonprofit organization serving an Ohio University campus community (Athens, Belmont, Fairfield, Lawrence, Muskingum, or Ross county) you are eligible for scholarships to cover Nonprofits LEAD workshops and events. Contact Amy Elliot before registering to secure scholarships: 740.376.4559 or amy@nonprofitslead.org
Community-Engaged Research
Community-engaged Research is a process where research is conducted with the community to ensure mutually beneficial outcomes. Members of the research team are all equal partners throughout the research process. This is different than community-focused research where research is done on or in the community.
As part of the University’s initiative for community engagement, we now have four new CITI modules about community-engaged research. This free training is available to all Ohio University-affiliated researchers, including faculty, staff, students and collaborators such as community partners. It is strongly recommended to have all partners complete this training prior to beginning research.
Tools and Templates
Below you will find self-guided and adaptable resources for faculty and staff, students, and community members to help you develop, sustain, and demonstrate the impact of equitable and mutual beneficial campus-community partnerships. A collection of templates, guidance, and activities are included that vary in relevancy and appropriateness for each audience, but can be adapted to a wide variety of partnerships, including community-engaged research, service-learning experiences, or special projects.
Looking for something that isn't here? Contact the Center for Campus & Community Engagement and we will do what we can to assist you.
Evaluation
- Partnership Assessment Tool [Excel]*
- Project Report Form*
- Theory of Change Logic Model Template [Word]
- Developing Measurable Indicators [Word]
*If you are involved in community engagement work, please complete these two forms and return them to communityengagement@ohio.edu so we can better demonstrate our collective impact and recognize your work!
Transportation
Going somewhere or having a community partner coming to campus? We can help with that!
General Transportation Services Guidelines and Instructions for University employees:
- Go to the main Transportation and Parking Service website
- Scroll to the bottom, and click on Fleet Rentals
- Log in
- This is a separate account from your OHIO ID, so if you haven’t made an account, go to the bottom left corner of the menu and click on Sign Up Now!
- Complete the form, and you’ll get a confirmation email. Afterwards, use your new log in information.
- Choose vehicle: Daily use for a 12-passenger van is $55 plus $0.55 per mile for gas.
- Drivers of all vehicles must have a valid driver’s license.
In the event a University department lacks funds to pay for this expense, the CCCE may be contacted for a funding allocation.
Visitor Parking Options
Do you have a community partner coming to your campus? Be sure to offer parking assistance to make their visit easy and pleasant. In the event a University department lacks funds to pay for this expense, the CCCE may be contacted for a funding allocation.
Campus Maps
Athens | Chillicothe | Eastern | Lancaster | Southern | Zanesville
Meeting/Event Space and Services
Remote Meetings
To increase the ease of accessibility and connection to community partners near and far from campus, a University partner can set up a virtual meeting using Microsoft Teams or Zoom if preferred.
For those on OHIO Campuses, the Ohio University Learning Network (OULN) offers network of dedicated videoconferencing classrooms on the Athens campus, regional campuses, and regional centers that supports high quality, real time, simultaneous interactions between participants in multiple locations. OULN rooms can be scheduled by any OHIO employee or current student. OIT hosts a list of videoconferencing classrooms on their website.
University Event Space
Event space is managed by Event Services. University staff and faculty may reserve event spaces at the internal University rates for community engagement-related events. For more information on locations, rates and availability, visit the Event Services website.
Regional Facilities Rental
For information about renting spaces on regional campuses, please follow the links below:
Live Web Streaming
For any events on campus, live web stream can be available to broaden access to a wider audience. University staff and faculty are responsible for making these arrangements. Ohio University uses YouTube for web streaming. Web streaming is billed at a rate of $100.00/hour for web streaming between the hours of 8 am-5 pm. Before 8 am or after 5 pm the fee is $125.00/hour. The fee is for the time of the event, there is no charge for the time to setup and tear-down equipment.
Preference is to have a 30-day notice prior to an event. When scheduling a room for an event that you would like to be web streamed please schedule at least 1 hour for equipment setup and testing prior to the start of the event. This time will not be charged. The fee would be for one camera coverage.
For more information about live streaming and archive options contact Kevin Price, WOUB Education and Media Supervisor.
Key Terms
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT The collaboration between institutions of higher education & their larger communities (local, state/regional, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. (Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching)
OUTREACH VS. ENGAGEMENT
ASSET-BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT A framework grounded in the human, social, and physical capital that exists within our local communities and the Appalachian region that approaches challenges through appreciative inquiry and by working with stakeholders to develop holistic, sustainable solutions in our communities.
COMMUNITY
- Small or large social unit that has something in common
- May be based on geography, culture, religion, or identity
- May have different and significant implications in different fields of study
COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH A research process where research is conducted WITH the community instead of ON or IN the community. Members of the research team are all equal partners throughout the research process.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING is an approach to education that emphasizes engaged student learning through direct experience and reflection to increase knowledge, develop skills, and elucidate values. Experiential learning activities are intentionally designed to develop students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes through experience related to a field. Experiential learning may occur in curricular and co-curricular settings.
Contexts for experiential learning may include (but are not limited to) internships, apprenticeships, clinical experience, fellowships, cooperatives, field work, practicums, community engagement (service-learning, community-based research, volunteering), interactive simulations, role-playing, performance, professional internship / student teaching, study abroad / cultural immersion, research (basic, applied, lab, industry, community), live case studies, job training, place-based education, and student organization leadership.
Best Practices for Communications and Media
CCCE recommends “horizontal” relationships between the Ohio University and external community organizations. This signifies an equal partnership in all phases of interaction. More detail will be given in the sections below as to how this looks in action. In theory, however, this should be rethinking the basic idea that the University is “better” than any community organization and that the interaction between the entities results in a one-way gift to the community. This may be the case for simple donations of goods or services, but in project-based interactions, the community organization should be seen as a partner with attributes that are essential and valuable to a successful project outcome. Solutions, methods and dissemination in and of any project should be a result of healthy and equal collaboration. Furthermore, an organization often has clients whom they interact with in the community. A relationship developed with the organization does not necessarily extend to these individuals. Interactions between the University and members of the community should also be thought of as horizontal.
Additional Resources
Alden Library Resource Page
Access our Community Engagement resource guide at University Libraries for key organizations and scholarly articles.
CCCE Lending Library
Interested in additional reading? Stop by our office to peruse our bookshelves. Our collection is accessible to students, staff, faculty, and community partners wishing to borrow books.