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GUIDE FOR FACULTY OUTREACH Outreach Resources for Faculty Published by the Offi

GUIDE FOR FACULTY OUTREACH Outreach Resources for Faculty Published by the Office of the Vice President for University Outreach Carnegie Foundation Classification for COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Curricular Engagement and Outreach and Partnerships Auburn University’s Outreach Mission Auburn University is committed to applying its educational resources to the problems and issues faced by citizens of the state, region, nation and world. Through academic departments, outreach centers and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn’s outreach programming addresses economic development, government, professional continuing education, youth, cultural preservation, agriculture and natural resources. Our goal, as always, is to provide effective and efficient programs and services for our fellow Alabamians. Vision Statement Our vision of outreach consists of a thriving partnership between Auburn University faculty, staff, and students, on the one hand, and the people and communities of Alabama and beyond on the other. In this vision, the people and their communities routinely make effective use of the resources of Auburn University to serve their needs and help them solve their problems and improve the quality of their lives. The providers of those resources within the University, especially the faculty, routinely and confidently commit portions of their time and expertise to outreach, secure in the knowledge that their work will be reliably assessed and rewarded within their own institution and within the broader academy. The University acts not only to maintain effective and efficient connections with established constituencies, but also to discover emerging constituencies and cultivate appropriate connections to them. CONTENTS: Introduction . ................................................................................ 01 Definition of Outreach and Related Terms ................................. 02 Outreach Organization and Focus . .............................................. 06 Relationships Among Scholarly Contributions . .......................... 10 Policies and Procedures .............................................................. 12 Resources for Faculty ................................................................. 15 Faculty Outreach Scholarship Grants ......................................... 18 Outreach Scholarship Symposia ................................................. 20 Award for Excellence in Faculty Outreach ................................. 21 For More Information ................................................................. 22 INTRODUCTION Among Auburn University’s three principal missions is Outreach, the application of university expertise beyond the traditional campus setting to the benefit of external constituents. Outreach occurs in many forms, such as non-credit instruction, distance instruction, technical assistance, service learning, applied research, the technology transfer. The majority of outreach at the university is produced by faculty. By performing outreach, faculty improve the quality of life in Alabama and beyond, and they gain valuable experience and insights that can inform their teaching and research. Thus, outreach is an important expression of the faculty’s disciplinary expertise and scholarship. This booklet provides a brief overview of faculty outreach at Auburn University including definitions of outreach and related terms, organization of outreach, faculty roles, handbook citations and other policies relevant to faculty outreach, and helpful resources available to faculty. 1 DEFINITION OF OUTREACH AND RELATED TERMS Universities use many terms to define or categorize faculty involvement with the external community: public service, community or civic engagement, outreach, continuing education, and lifelong learning to name a few. At Auburn University, the term “outreach” is in general use in academic policy and university publications, referring collectively to any form of scholarly engagement. The term applies broadly, as in “the mission of outreach,” as well as specifically to work performed by individual faculty through designated outreach units, academic departments, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System or with external partners. The term “extension” is also in common use in an historical context, such as on the seal of the university, but generally is used in specific reference to the Cooperative Extension organization itself, and for the work performed by its county agents and specialists. In 2001, a substantive revision to Chapter 3 of the Faculty Handbook defined “outreach” formally as it relates to faculty involvement with external communities: “‘Outreach’ refers to the function of applying academic expertise to the direct benefit of external audiences in support of university and unit missions.” This definition of outreach includes but is not limited to the following activities which utilize scholarly expertise: technical assistance, continuing and distance instruction, civic engagement, service learning or extension work. Additionally, Chapter 3 of the Faculty Handbook (www.auburn.edu/academic/provost/handbook.html) further distinguishes outreach from “service” or “consulting.” These are covered in detail in under separate headings in the Handbook. Faculty should refer to Chapter 3 of the Faculty Handbook for the description of conditions by which an endeavor may be regarded as outreach scholarship. At Auburn University outreach and outreach scholarship are among the criteria used to assess faculty in regards to promotion and tenure. 2 As part of the 2013 SACS reaffirmation study, a faculty committee analyzed the scope of the university’s outreach work and typical outcomes. Institutionally, outreach and extension work at Auburn encompasses three forms of activity: instruction, expert assistance, and engagement. Outreach instructional activities promote learning over a lifetime and address continuing individual development and improvement of knowledge and skills needed for educational advancement, employment and personal enrichment. Expert assistance provides information and services extending university expertise and knowledge on request to external constituents (individuals and organizations) in order to advise, solve problems and improve conditions. Engagement encourages collaboration between the institution and its larger community (local, state, regional, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. The following are additional terms commonly used to describe the various activities which make up the body of Auburn University’s outreach mission. Community or Civic Engagement “The scholarship of engagement means connecting the rich resources of the university to our most pressing social, civic and ethical problems, to our children, to our schools, to our teachers and to our cities ...” (Boyer, 1990). Civic engagement is particularly focused on building community capacity and encouraging thoughtful, responsible citizenship. At Auburn, such engagement involves faculty as well as students through the academic departments as well as specialized outreach units. Outreach (Engaged) Scholarship The dissemination or application of knowledge through outreach activities. This includes authoring articles, book chapters, reports or other publications reflecting one’s outreach experience, the development of curricula informed by outreach activities, etc. Extension This historical term reflects work performed in designated programs by faculty specialists affiliated with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. These faculty and their counterparts based in county offices perform more than 2 million service contacts per year across Alabama. 3 Continuing Education or Lifelong Learning A common term used mostly for non-credit instruction, typically professionally- oriented short courses, workshops, and conferences, often awarding continuing education units (CEUs) to qualified participants. Auburn produces annually some 1,000 programs and 50,000 registrations in noncredit programs university- wide. Typically, faculty contribute to the design of such programs and serve as instructors. Distance Education This term encompasses credit and non-credit offerings which typically use instructional technologies to reach non-residential students at a distance. Distance credit programs are subjected to the same oversight as tradition al curricula, distinguished neither in quality, rigor nor requirement from the residential course of study. Auburn’s distance offerings include an increasing number of certificates, programs, and credit degrees. Technical Assistance A term frequently used for expert advice provided by a faculty member as part of a formal university-sponsored outreach client relationship. Outside of such sponsored relationships, faculty consultation may be categorized as “Extramural Activity” as defined by the Auburn Faculty Handbook. Annually, almost 500 sponsored technical assistance projects are conducted by major technical units on campus. Service Learning A term used for student engagement in organized community activities directed by faculty as part of a course which integrates service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience. These programs generate annually thousands of service hours in the community. Clinical Work This activity includes diagnostic services, consultation and therapy provided by departmental clinics. These clinics primarily function as training programs for students and research facilities for faculty, but also serve as an outreach to the local community. Auburn has some 12 clinical facilities and many other similar programs open to the public or by referral. 4 Other Forms of Outreach The university generates outreach indirectly by the institution’s presence in the community. Local area residents enjoy an art museum, performing arts, an arboretum and many other world class resources which would otherwise not be found in communities this size. Many presentations, performances and exhibits are offered primarily for the benefit of students and faculty, but are also open to the public at large. In these ways, Auburn enhances the overall quality of life for the surrounding community. 5 OUTREACH ORGANIZATION AND FOCUS Organizationally, Auburn supports relevant and vital engagement at three levels: (1) central administration provides institutional advocacy and resources to support outreach comprehensively; (2) organizational units provide a critical mass to launch and sustain outreach initiatives which are broad in concept and application; and (3) faculty provide scholarship to assure outreach is firmly grounded in the knowledge base of the university and incorporates sound instructional methodology. The following are the organizational divisions supporting outreach work at Auburn. The Office of the Vice President for University Outreach The VPUO promotes engagement of faculty scholarship and application of research beyond campus through outreach services and programming in its various forms to Auburn University’s uploads/Litterature/ fa-guide.pdf