Year End HLC Project Summary
Higher Learning Commission Project Update: LSC Community Engagement
May 2, 2008
1. Starting a year ago in May 2007, the committee was still undecided about what direction to take this project. Was it our charge to develop and produce events that engaged the Duluth community? Or was it our charge to assess what we are already doing in terms of community events and refine the process, if there was a process? We received help from the HLC consultants at their May site visit who helped the group clarify its purpose and, ultimately, pick a direction.
Our purpose and committee work in the past year has been to assess how current campus events are created, scheduled, implemented and evaluated. To initially acquire a birds-eye view of events, we informally surveyed what standing events and new events from various departments and outside sources occur or are planned. Through that compilation, we are able to identify issues and opportunities by applying a SWOT analysis. We also met with various campus representatives who are affected by events on campus, including the maintenance personnel who are called upon for room setup and cleanup, and the person in charge of maintaining the electronic campus calendar.
2. From this information-gathering, and committee discussions throughout the year, we developed a working event procedure document, an event checklist and evaluation form. To vet our work and garner feedback, the committee presented these prototype documents with an overview of our testing plans to a number of key constituent groups, including the LSC Foundation Board and the President’s Council, made of key administrators.
3. Our next steps include several testing activities. We will be meeting with key constituent groups including Student Life and their programming board, the health education coordinator, the Foundation alumni director, the Intercultural Center, and the workforce development department. These areas generate the majority of special events and activities on campus. We will ask for input on our proposed process and working documents, including the event checklist and evaluation form.
We will also test our system forms and process with upcoming events this spring. Since these events are already in place, we will test the evaluation end of the process. Next fall we plan to apply the entire planning and evaluation system to events that are still in the planning stages.
4) We are not able to provide any effective practices recommendations until we test the event planning and evaluation process.
5) Our committee feels that our two biggest challenges are making the cultural change with the institution in terms of the events process, solidifying the changes, and then sustaining the project through ownership in a department and/or point person.
6) No, thanks.