Acknowledgement and use of the rich learning environment outside the campus energizes the faculty-student relationship and creates an essential bridge from theory to practice. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, a community-engaged campus collaborates with its larger communities (local, state, regional, national and global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. Students who attend a community-engaged institution learn the broad context in which they live, work, play and grow.

A. Goal: Include all units of the campus in the process of community engagement; that is, collaborations between the university and its larger communities (local, state, regional, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.

Priorities:

1. Achieve the voluntary Carnegie classification for Community Engagement and implement the institutional commitments associated with the classification.
2. Utilize the documentation framework of the Community Engagement classification to develop baseline measures of the university's community engagement activities and use those measures to monitor community engagement activities.
3. Establish a joint NMU/health-care industry task force to make recommendations regarding possible collaborations.
4. Create new community engagement awards that will be given annually to faculty, staff and students who have exhibited an outstanding commitment to community engagement.

B. Goal: Increase faculty, staff and student involvement in the Superior Edge program, academic service learning and other community engagement and leadership development initiatives.

Priorities:

1. Develop a resource plan for the Superior Edge and academic service learning programs to ensure optimal growth.
2. Significantly increase the number of NMU students who participate in the Superior Edge, academic service learning and other leadership development opportunities.
3. Improve the alignment of the curriculum with the Superior Edge and academic service learning initiatives.
4. Implement strategies to assist students to more effectively communicate the skills and competencies developed through their achievements in community engagement.

C. Goal: Put into action a commitment to be an inclusive community where differences are recognized as assets of the institution, respected attributes of the person and a valuable part of the university experience.

 

Priorities:

1. Endorse a statement on diversity that clearly communicates the university's commitment.
2. Implement and fund strategies to increase the number of students and employees from under-represented and nontraditional groups.
3. Establish an endowed chair in religious studies that will be the catalyst to the development of a religious studies program.
4. Provide ongoing diversity training and education for faculty, staff and students.

D. Goal: Increase collaboration with local communities, schools, governments, development groups and other partners to enhance community and economic development in the Upper Peninsula.

 

Priorities:

1. Establish a team of NMU faculty, under the auspices of the Sam M. Cohodas Scholar, who conduct and publish applied research that supports community and economic development across the Upper Peninsula.
2. Continue to increase and whenever possible promote a culture of openness and access through regularly scheduled community/campus forums, high-quality publications and the effective use of communication technologies.
3. Provide new faculty and staff with an on-the-road introduction to the U.P. to orient them to the assets, cultures and economy of the U.P. and to connect them with research ideas that will promote community and regional involvement.
4. Explore the feasibility of collaborating with existing community development organizations, units of government and the private sector to establish a high-tech economic development center on the NMU campus.
5. Explore the feasibility of collaborating with the state, U.P. universities and private alternative energy companies to make the Upper Peninsula a nationally recognized alternative energy and technology corridor.