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Community Engagement Models
The following community engagement models are supported by the Office of Community Engagement through community-engaged learning courses, student employment, or volunteer opportunities for groups or individuals.
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Community Building
Under this model, students conduct research to assess or meet community needs. Examples include:
Co-curricular Service
A student organization interviews gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) students to record their stories of treatment by medical personnel.
Service-learning
Economics students conduct a survey for the City of Benson to determine why people leave town to go shopping and what non-existent retail options or other changes would keep people in town.
Internship
A student interviews Spanish-speaking clients of the local hospital to determine how well their medical needs are being met locally.
Engaged Research
A psychology professor completes a study conducted in a multicultural psychology class about attitudes of parents toward diversity issues; she writes a report for the school, as requested, but also uses the survey data in a study for an academic journal.
Institutional Engagement
After completing a study about the best placement for a second campus wind turbine, the community is invited to a forum to learn about the research and weigh in.
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Community Education
Under this model, students research and write curricula to educate particular community members about social issues or needed skills. Examples include:
Co-curricular Service
A student volunteers to assist with the adult English as a Second Language (ESL) program at Morris Area Schools Community Education.
Service-learning
A political science class presents Kids Voting curriculum to K-12 students in local schools to teach about the importance and process of voting.
Internship
An education student writes a training manual for tutors at an after-school program.
Engaged Research
A faculty member in education provides tutoring services for at-risk K-3 readers, assesses the results of her methods, and writes an academic article on the project.
Institutional Engagement
Courses are routinely offered at low cost to community members who are not degree seeking when seats are available.
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Community Organizing
Under this model, students organize to respond to a community issue. Examples include:
Co-curricular Service
Students concerned about renters’ rights prepare a motion for a city council meeting.
Service-learning
A student in an interdisciplinary course focused on radical education theory plans a dialogue to determine best ways to address housing issues in Morris.
Internship
A student interns with Camp Wellstone, an agency focused on community organizing.
Engaged Research
A faculty member involved in a local human rights issue brings her research skills to the Morris Human Rights Commission and provides a context for local hate crimes.
Institutional Engagement
The Morris campus provides awards for student activists.
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Deliberative Dialogue
Projects that intentionally bring people together to build understanding across differences.
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Direct Service (People)
Under this model, students work directly with consumers, clients, or staff of a community agency to provide a needed service. Examples include:
Co-curricular service
University of Minnesota, Morris students tutor K-12 students in the after school program.
Service-learning
Students in creative writing courses plan and implement activities for elders and record their words in the form of found poetry to capture memories, stories, and insights for their loved ones.
Internship
An education student implements curricula in a summer program for at-risk youth.
Engaged Research
A faculty member in creative writing conducts community writing workshops and, with permission and IRB approval, uses those workshops as the basis for a study on found poetry as a tool to teach poetic line breaks and titles.
Institutional engagement
Parking for on-campus events is free of charge.
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Direct Service (Product)
Under this model, students create a product for a community agency or its consumers, clients, or staff. Examples include:
Co-curricular service
A student volunteers to create a brochure for the Morris Senior Center.
Service-learning
A communications, media and rhetoric class produces a series of videos about historic figures in Stevens County for a display at the Stevens County Historical Society.
Internship
A computer science major creates several databases for the Land Stewardship project and trains the staff to use them.
Engaged Research
A faculty member in sociology provides Stevens County Human Services with an annotated bibliography of sources related to immigration services in rural communities. She uses this annotated bibliography as background research for a study she is conducting.
Institutional engagement
University library cards are provided to community members free of charge.
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Economic Development
Under this model, students engage in assessing and developing ideas for developing the community in ways that are inclusive and sustainable. Examples include:
Co-curricular Service
Students living in the residence halls plan a food drive for the Stevens County Food Shelf.
Service-learning
Economics students conduct a survey for the City of Benson to determine why people leave town to go shopping and what non-existent retail options or other changes would keep people in town.
Service-learning Course
About barriers to implementing environmentally friendly household habits.
Engaged Research
A faculty member conducts a study of people who are dealing with housing crises in the region to determine how community leaders can find a solution.
Institutional Engagement
The Morris campus has a policy to buy as many products and services as possible from businesses within a 100 mile radius, and to purchase outside that radius only if the cost is twice as much or the product is not available regional.
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Engaged Research
Research that directly benefits the community by clarifying the causes of a community challenge, mapping a community's assets, or contributing to solutions to current challenges and also fits a faculty member's research agenda. In the best case scenario, faculty with research expertise work alongside community members and students on such projects. An example would be the MIEI community needing assessment.
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Institutional Engagement
University resources intentionally offered without undue barriers to the community. OCE can play a role in envisioning institutional engagement efforts. Examples include making Briggs library cards available for community members, making campus events accessible, and choosing to use local and sustainable businesses to supply services or goods.
As an expert in community engagement and university outreach, I can confidently provide insights into the concepts and initiatives mentioned in the article about the University of Minnesota Morris. The University of Minnesota Morris appears to be deeply committed to community engagement, incorporating various models to bridge the gap between the campus and the surrounding community. Let's delve into the key concepts outlined in the article:
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Community Building:
- Co-curricular Service: Involves students interviewing and documenting the experiences of specific groups, such as LGBT students, to address community needs.
- Service-learning: Students, like those in economics, conduct surveys for the community to gather information and address local issues.
- Internship: Students engage directly with the community, such as interviewing Spanish-speaking clients to assess local medical needs.
- Engaged Research: Faculty members contribute to community well-being by conducting studies that benefit both the school and academic journals.
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Community Education:
- Co-curricular Service: Students volunteer in programs like adult ESL to educate specific community members.
- Service-learning: Classes, like political science, may present curricula to K-12 students to educate them on social issues and processes like voting.
- Internship: Education students may create training manuals for after-school programs, contributing to community education.
- Engaged Research: Faculty members, such as those in education, provide tutoring services and assess results, contributing to academic articles.
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Community Organizing:
- Co-curricular Service: Students may organize to address issues like renters' rights, preparing motions for city council meetings.
- Service-learning: Interdisciplinary courses may focus on radical education theory and plan dialogues to address community issues.
- Internship: Students may intern with organizations like Camp Wellstone, focusing on community organizing.
- Engaged Research: Faculty members bring research skills to local issues, providing context and contributing to community organizations.
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Deliberative Dialogue:
- Projects that intentionally bring people together to build understanding across differences.
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Direct Service (People):
- Co-curricular Service: Students tutor K-12 students directly in after-school programs.
- Service-learning: Creative writing students engage with elders, recording their words in activities like found poetry.
- Internship: Education students implement curricula directly in programs for at-risk youth.
- Engaged Research: Faculty members conduct community workshops, using them as a basis for academic studies.
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Direct Service (Product):
- Co-curricular Service: Students may volunteer to create products like brochures for community agencies.
- Service-learning: Classes, like communications and media, may produce videos for historical societies.
- Internship: Students in majors like computer science may create databases for community projects.
- Engaged Research: Faculty members contribute annotated bibliographies to community services, aiding research projects.
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Economic Development:
- Co-curricular Service: Students may plan initiatives like food drives for the local community.
- Service-learning: Economics students may conduct surveys to assess and improve local retail options.
- Service-learning Course: Courses may focus on barriers to environmentally friendly household habits.
- Engaged Research: Faculty members conduct studies to find solutions to regional issues, such as housing crises.
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Engaged Research:
- Research directly benefiting the community by addressing challenges, mapping assets, and contributing to solutions.
- Collaboration between faculty, community members, and students for projects like the MIEI community needs assessment.
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Institutional Engagement:
- University resources intentionally offered without undue barriers to the community.
- Examples include library cards for community members, accessible campus events, and support for local and sustainable businesses.
In conclusion, the University of Minnesota Morris employs a diverse range of community engagement models, demonstrating a commitment to the well-being and development of both the university and its surrounding community.
