Alfred State is a member of Campus Compact which recently celebrated its anniversary with the Campus Compact 30th Anniversary Action Statement - a statement encouraging member higher education institutions to leverage civic engagement infrastructure in the service of public outcomes. The campus came together to develop a Civic Action Plan- a plan to continue deepening our collective community impact.
President Sullivan appointed the Civic Action Plan Committee to develop a plan that highlights our ongoing civic engagement efforts and establish college wide aspirational goals. Committee membership - consisting of faculty, staff, and students - enabled broad input from key stakeholders. The final plan was approved by Student Senate, Faculty Senate, and President’s Council in 2017. Highlights from the plan may be found below as well as on the Campus Compact website.
Enhancing the impact of our teaching, learning, and institutional practices to advance the public good.
Alfred State students, faculty, and staff generate positive impact in the larger community year after year. This positive impact through civic engagement takes place through live work, internships, practicums, co-curricular activities, international study, capstone courses, clinical placements and other types of applied learning. Our learning community excels at applying knowledge and skills to address challenges and solve problems as productive contributors in the workforce and as active citizens.
The following Civic Action Plan was developed through input from students, faculty, staff, and community leaders. It outlines twenty-four actions that complement the strategic plan and provide a roadmap to enhancing the impact of our teaching, learning, and institutional practices to advance the public good.
Strategic Priority: Applied Learning
- Explore designation of classes as civic engagement intensive at the course level for recognition on student transcripts
- Enhance promotion and highlight successes of curricular and co-curricular civic engagement activities on both campuses
- Increase availability and diversity of intensive off-campus learning experiences that incorporate community engagement
Strategic Priority: Diversity/Inclusion
- Facilitate college forums to promote thoughtful and respectful conversation around current issues
- Expand opportunities for inter-cultural sharing and education
Strategic Priority: Faculty & Staff Excellence
- Enhance professional development opportunities that share civic engagement best practices
- Explore developing greater emphasis in the promotion and tenure process to recognize extra effort invested in community engaged activities
- Streamline the process to report data and track impact of curricular and co-curricular civic engagement
- Expand recognition of faculty/staff involved in civic engagement
- Deliver enhanced logistical and financial support to faculty/staff to support creation and organization of community engaged activities in classes and programs
- Facilitate recruitment, hiring, and onboarding practices that communicate a culture of civic engagement
- Develop greater collaboration with leadership groups in the Southern Tier
Strategic Priority: Local & Regional Impact
- Deepen and increase collaboration with K-12 schools
- Develop institutional definition and indicators for effective community partnerships
- Expand incentives for meaningful student community engagement
- Mitigate transportation barriers to student community engagement
- Generate effective advertisement around community service opportunities
- Create purposeful connections between student clubs and community partners
- Enhance sustainability literacy and practices alongside strategic partners
- Continue investing in the local economy through procurement and purchasing practices
Strategic Priority: Student Success
- Develop robust electronic platform to share and connect civic engagement opportunities with students, faculty, and staff
- Increase the quantity and quality of external advisory boards across the institution
- Promote incorporation of service, leadership, and campus employment in student co-curricular transcript
- Enhance civic service and learning opportunities specifically for ASOP/ EOP students