WSU Community Engagement Network

Purpose 

Washington State University is a public research university committed to its land-grant heritage and tradition of service to society. In alignment with this mission and WSU’s strategic plan, the WSU Community Engagement Network is a cohesive network comprised of representatives across the WSU system. Through reciprocal community-university partnerships, we encourage transformational curricular and co-curricular student experiences and engage faculty, staff, and community partners to support our communities of practice and purpose for the public good. 

WSU Community Engagement Survey

Final Report, October 23, 2020

Goals & Objectives

Developing more Efficient System-wide Collaboration 

• Create efficiencies in process to reduce duplication (e.g. risk management, shared data collection and assessment on student learning and community impact). 
• Creating a community and a network for learning, supporting, strategizing, coordinating and collaborating for advancing community engagement across the university system 
• Develop a systemwide communication strategy for publication of stories, courses, and impacts across the system.  

Supporting System-wide Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship 

• Develop training for faculty committees on how to evaluate community-based scholarship in the tenure and promotion process and provide faculty resources and support (e.g., public scholarship) Note: Support people doing public scholarship. 
• Provide ongoing training opportunities for faculty systemwide via webinars and other relevant delivery systems (Note:  trainings could include topical issues like food insecurity, community-based health/wellness or trainings around process, I.e. campus advocacy, curriculum, interacting with campus and systemwide CCE entities, etc.)
• Develop a community based research agenda that captures, among other things, the impact of WSU community collaborations. 
• Engage new faculty through such things as new faculty orientations, to engage faculty interest in collaboration with community partners. 
• Promote graduate student involvement in engagement/service work to foster linkages between their research and service agendas. 

Establishing Impactful, Co-Educator, and Community-based Partnerships  

• Align community partnership development across the university system. 
• Strategic, regular community needs assessments applicable across campuses and initiatives  
• Partnership development around relationship building 
• Partner recognition opportunities  

Current Campus/Extension Representatives

WSU Health Sciences Spokane 

WSU Office of Community Engagement & Service Learning

• Jim Mohr, Vice-Chancellor, Student Affairs
• Courtney Anderson, Assistant Director, Student Equity, Leadership and Community

WSU Pullman/Global 

WSU Center for Civic Engagement

• Tiffanie Braun, Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships & Community Engagement  
• Ben Calabretta, Associate Director of Civic Learning & Leadership  

• Debbie O'Donnell, Vice-Chancellor of Student Affairs, WSU Global
• Jeanne Weiler, Director of WSU Pullman Community & Public Affairs

WSU Tri-Cities 

WSU Office of Advancement & Community Engagement

• Jamie Heppler, Executive Director of Advancement & Community Engagement

• Anna Plemons, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs 
• Shannon Calderone, Assistant Professor, Educational Leadership  

WSU Vancouver 

• Narek Daniyelyan, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships 
• Johanna Phelps, Director of Technical and Professional Writing, Assistant Professor of English  

WSU Everett  

• Mark Beattie, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs 
• Lynne Varner, Associate Vice Chancellor & Chief of Staff to Chancellor Pitre
• Lucrezia Paxson, Clinical Assistant Professor, Murrow College of Communications 
• Corrie Wilder, Executive Director of Marketing & Communication

WSU Extension 

• Mike Gaffney, Assistant Director, WSU Extension 
• Christina Sanders, Director, WSU Division of Governmental Studies & Services