Beyond the Institution: Community-facing Instruction for the Common Good

In a world where relationships are strained and individualism is prized and coveted, we must transcend the boundaries of our institutions to reach out to the community in which we play such a large role. The university, or institution, is oftentimes the supplier of many jobs and careers for a community. It is a place of safety and of knowledge. A place where one can go to learn more about the world, explore interests, and develop personally. The university provides people with the means of critically thinking about the world and how they can best make a positive impact in their own lives, the lives of others in their communities, and/or in the lives of those across the globe. Engaging in community-minded service makes meaningful connections with diverse professionals across disciplines to apply academic findings, research outcomes, skills, and competencies to help address complex societal issues and promote the common good. One method of implementing community-minded service comes in the form of community-facing instruction.

But what does community-facing instruction look like? How do we step outside of our institutions and have conversations with our community leaders? There are so many ways that an institution or university can connect with its community, and there is no one right answer. Communities, much like people, are diverse and function in different ways. Each one must be approached differently and the way that we interact with community leaders and community members is going to be different each time. We must adapt and be flexible in our designs and be ready to respond to changes in community opinion and needs. It’s this flexibility that can oftentimes seem overwhelming or fill us with anxiety. But in order to develop these relationships and to move toward building a better future, we must embrace the anxiety and the worry that comes along with stepping outside of the comfort of our universities or our institutions.

It is with all these thoughts in mind that we will discuss how our institution navigates these delicate conversations. We will frame the session largely based on the three experiences below:

• We have taken on work that focuses on providing rising college freshmen from typically underserved communities, with the opportunity to access materials that will help prepare them for collegiate life.This online pre-college program is not just a series of requirements but is more a coherent program that served as foundational to success in academics, work, and life by developing a broad-based set of skills that allows students to be flexible and adaptable long after they leave the university. 

• We have also begun exploring how we can disseminate information related to antimicrobial resistance and its dramatic impact on our environment and on our society and what we can do to combat it to our local community members in schools and beyond. 

• We have begun the development of a program to empower working professional women to advance in their careers and grow as leaders.

These examples help frame how important community involvement is for the institution. All of these projects extend beyond the bubble of the academy in a way that benefits both the institution and the people who live in our community. We hope that these examples will inspire you to either begin exploring community projects (or taking on more) or to just begin conversations with your community leaders. Change has to start somewhere, and as institutions, we hold a lot of power in our communities, so why not start with us?

This session will begin by providing each presenter with approximately five (5) minutes to explain how their project has explored community relationships and how their projects have or will impact the community and those people living within it. We will then move to a discussion portion where participants will have time to discuss in small groups ideas for projects that they could get involved with in their own communities. After which, we will return to the full group to share out what was talked about in the small groups. We will end with a short discussion on a framework for how to engage in conversations with community members and community leaders when working on digital projects and how we, as partners, can follow up on our promises.

The goals of this session are to encourage individuals who attend to undertake community-focused projects that reach outside of the institution and address issues of equity, justice, and the common good. The effective practice of such projects does require special attention and intention. We will provide a framework for working with community partners, illustrating how a group or institution can begin conversations and sustain a working relationship with leaders outside of the institution. Our session will also discuss the possibilities and problems surrounding the university-community relationship in an effort to elevate the university's core responsibilities and utilize the knowledge and resources embedded within communities to promote more profound outcomes of these practices. Our goal is to share our experiences with the audience and inspire them to explore the possibilities that are within their own communities. We hope that those attending will leave with a renewed sense of purpose and energy that they can take home and begin making real change in their communities.