Regents Education Program

Annual Conference

Dr. Debra L. StuartVice Chancellor for AdministrationOklahoma State Regents for Higher Education405-225-9121dstuart@osrhe.edu

Making Place MatterProject with the

American Association of State Colleges and

Universities(AASCU)

AASCU

Reviewed community engagement and regional stewardship literature

Surveyed presidents Visited six institutions Developed conceptual scheme

Stewards of PlaceStepping Forward As

Stewards of Place, 2002AASCU

“The publicly engaged institution is fully committed to direct, two-

way interaction with communities and other external constituencies

through the development, exchange, and application of knowledge, information, and

expertise for mutual benefits.”

Place-related InteractiveMutually beneficial Integrated

Public engagement is

Embracing public engagement as a core value yields benefits for

Community and regional entities

Students Faculty Institution

Themes include

Addressing the future of the region, community and institution

Using formal and informal communications with key indicators to track progress

Planning and goal-setting Implementing with consistency

Characteristics of a fully engaged institution include

All partners as a regular part of normal work

Mission statements that identify the region served

Community involvement in setting priorities

Active participation in regional planning

AASCU’s Making Place Matter project

Presentation by AASCU staff “Tools and Insights”

workbook Trends Process Case studies

Seminar for institutions funded by outside grants

Making Place Matter: Opportunities and Insights

for OklahomaTravis ReindlDirector of State Policy Analysis/Assistant to the PresidentAASCU

March 1, 2006

Contemporary Realities--Oklahoma Demographic

Age (doubling of 65+ population by 2030, working age/college age/HS grad growth weak)

Migration (Net importer, but what is import quality?) Economic

Competitiveness benchmarks (e.g. New Economy Index, R&D expenditures)—trails regional leaders, national average

Industry trends (health care, retail, admin./support dominate 10-year outlook)

Social Educational attainment (lags much of region, nation on

bachelor’s degree attainment) Children, families in poverty (close to regional peers, above

national average)

Colleges and Universities as Regional Stewards

Service/ → Engagement → StewardshipOutreach

redefinition institutionalization

Narrowly targeted/executed

Outside the mainstream of university work

One-way (institution as teacher)

Limited public policy linkage

More broadly targeted/executed

Toward the mainstream of university work

Two-way (institution learner as well as teacher)

Limited public policy linkage

Widely focused/executed(across regional priorities)

In the mainstream of university work(all colleges/departments/units participate,as well as students/staff/alumni)

Two-way(sense of shared purpose)

Significant public policy linkage

Universities in Knowledge Economy

From To

Ivory Tower3 Pillars

Te

ach

ing

Re

sea

rch

Se

rvic

e

Learning

Engagement Innovation

Stewards of Place3 Pillars

Regional Stewardship

Regional stewardship is commitment to and work in support of the long-term economic and social success of a locale. It reflects the convergence of four “conversations”:

innovative economylivable communitysocial inclusioncollaborative governance

Source: Alliance for Regional Stewardship

Innovative EconomyPreparing people and places to succeed

Social InclusionEnsuring that everyone

participates and shares responsibility

Collaborative GovernanceFinding creative ways to govern

Livable CommunityPreserving and creating places to live and work

Regional Stewardship Framework

Insights and Lessons Learned

Insights Stewardship needs to be

defined as a common thread, not an add-on.

Stewardship requires a solid “front door.”

Stewardship must reach beyond the faculty.

Stewardship cannot be run entirely on soft money.

Stewardship requires supportive public policy.

Stewardship must be measurable.

Lessons/Next Steps Establish context and

define terms. Celebrate short-term wins. Develop networks beyond

the core stakeholder group.

Raise policymaker awareness.

Continue development of a scholarship of engagement.

Form peer/mentoring networks.

Boosting Stewardship Capacity STEP 1: Establish regional context STEP 2: Assess campus-system-state

stewardship resources and capacity STEP 3: Develop goals and success

measures STEP 4: Develop a stewardship

roadmap