Community Stakeholders Session
December 13, 2005
Below is a summary of the discussion held by community organizations focusing on one of the five strategic directions contained in the current plan.
4. Engaged University: Develop mutually beneficial partnerships with our community as catalysts for the social, cultural, economic and educational enrichment of the region.
- Foster relationships between older and younger members of the community, enabling senior citizens to serve as an informational resource for the entire community.
- Create mentoring programs and opportunities for intergenerational interaction.
- Increase programs for pre-college students and introduce students to career opportunities
- Assess available community resources and provide information on how these resources can be easily accessed.
- Stress the importance of the community relations work of the university.
- Strengthen relationships between WSU and its Cultural Center neighbors.
- Create an outreach strategy to address community issues for events that require collaboration and coordination such as the annual high school robotics competition.
- Research and evaluate WSU’s outreach and community work.
- Post a comprehensive WSU events calendar on university’s Web site.
- Create a united events calendar for WSU and the University Cultural Center Association (UCCA).
- Publicize campus and Cultural Center events through prominent electronic sign boards.
- Create opportunities for hands-on learning by WSU students at nearby cultural institutions.
- Provide internship opportunities for community organizations and non-profits.
- Reach out to older workers in need of retraining.
- Offer incentives for WSU faculty and staff to become involved in community service and provide financial support for those who are involved.
- Increase community outreach efforts.
- Ensure that community groups who participate in faculty research projects are given credit and identified in publications resulting from the research.
- Conduct research on issues critical to an urban environment such as economic restructuring, employment changes, training, health and gerontology
- Designate a university spokesperson to promote WSU and the richness of our urban environment.
- Increase the number of language and cultural exchange programs.
- Create health initiatives for minority populations.
- Construct a campus conference center.
- Explore the construction of a golf course on or near campus.
- Ensure that academic departments engage the community.
- Use WSU as a liaison to encourage ongoing communication and relationship building among community organizations.
- Support residential opportunities for students, faculty and staff.