Sunnyvale Case Study

1. Joseph Hartsoe, Lydia Pendleton, Mandy Porter, & Alexa Triantis University of Central Arkansas Sunnyvale Case Study

2. Problem • Sunnyvale University • Founded in the 1800’s • New England Town • Deteriorating Relationship with Community • Student Disturbance • University Consuming Community Resources

3. Mission Sunnyvale University seeks to improve the town/gown relationship in order to meet the future needs of both the university and the community in a mutually beneficial way.

4. Objectives • Objectives • Open community buildings for town use • Place a community member on finance & facilities committees • Create structured service learning and community service opportunities. • Plan, promote, and present a variety of on-campus programs. • Implement community engagement in the operation of the university. • Foster goodwill between alumni, university, and community.

5. Office of Community Engagement • Goals • Host at least three campus wide service opportunities per semester. • Secure cooperation and participation in service learning opportunities with at least one professor per academic department. • Secure cooperation of at least 100 non-profit organizations and local businesses to be added to a community listserv. • Establish Facebook page and YouTube page to disseminate information to students and the community.

6. Office of Community Engagement • Seven potential campus-wide community service opportunities: • Habitat for Humanity (September) • Make a Difference Day (October) • Big Brother Big Sister (November) • Martin Luther King Day of Service (January) • Relay for Life (February) • Alternative Spring Break (March) • Don't Throw it Away (May)

7. Office of Community Engagement • Examples of Service Learning Projects: • Education • Nutrition and Agriculture • Communication; Advertising and Public Relations • Women's Studies/ Gender Studies • Government and Politics

8. Office of Community Engagement Benchmarks • 4 Months • Established committee; student committee and budget • Secured cooperation of local non-profit organizations and businesses • Evaluate progress of fall semester service learning projects • 8 Months • Hosted at least four campus-wide service opportunities • Conducted program evaluations of fall semester service learning projects • Followed up with MLK Day of Service community participants; request feedback. • 12 Months • Hosted at least six campus-wide service opportunities • Conducted program evaluations of fall and spring semester service learning projects. • Conducted program evaluations of fall and spring semester campus-wide service projects; request feedback of community participants.

9. Alumni Relations • Foster goodwill between alumni, university, and community. • Scholarships • Be a Good Neighbor • Committed to Excellence • Cultivating New Minds • “Connection” • Engaging community and university.

10. Alumni Relations Benchmarks • 4 Months • Received pledges from at least 10 alumni who live in the area that are fully committed to endorsing the University by supporting “Connections”. • Conducted a pre-survey to find out the communities level of involvement with the school and the communities perception of the school. • Decided upon the full criteria and amounts that will be given to award scholarship recipients. • 8 Months • See an increase in alumni pledges to support “Connections”. Goal 20. • See increased involvement in university events that are open to the public such as art festivals, homecoming activities, theater performances, career events, and enrollment in non-credit offering courses. • Have updated the website to include the new initiatives – scholarships and “Connections”. • 12 Months • Maintained alumni pledge support and continue to grow “Connections”. • Published an annual newsletter/magazine to share the success of the program. To showcase how alumni, pledges, university, students, and community have made a difference and have grown together. • Conducted a post survey to find out the climate of the environment since the inception of the new programs. It will address the communities’ perception of the university as well as their level of involvement. • Reviewed submissions for the scholarships and decided upon recipients. Recipients will be notified by the end of May.

11. Admissions • Create Community Network • Recruit Local High School Students to Sunnyvale • Implement Sunnyvale Family Connections • Assist Parents to be Active in the College Experience • Incorporate Community Into Campus Visits • Highlight Town History • Feature Community Local in Campus Tours/Visits

12. Orientation • Orientation Program • Community Orientation Session • “Community Culture and Information” • Community Partners • Town Information Session • Welcome Week Booths from Community Businesses • Sunnyvale 411 • Town Newsletter for Incoming Students

13. Admission & Orientation Benchmarks • 4 Months • Conduct at least 2 focus groups designed to measure students knowledge of the community • Conduct at least 2 focus groups designed to measure community attitudes toward student’s knowledge about the communities culture. • 8 Months • Secure at least three (3) community members to present community information session at summer orientation • Have at least five (5) community businesses committed to having tables at Welcome Week Events

14. Admission & Orientation Benchmarks • 8 Months Cont. • Have town history and highlights tour planned for orientation and Welcome Week • Have all local High Schools contacted and college recruitment events set up for the spring semester • The introductory newsletter for the Sunnyvale Family Connections program is mailed soliciting interest in forming a local parents association. • 12 Months • Incorporate a town tour into summer orientation. • Implement one new orientation session about the history and culture of Sunnyvale.

15. Student Programming • The Student Programming organization will thrive to keep students engaged on campus, as well as being open to the outside Sunnyvale Community. • Larger Scale • Homecoming • Welcome Week • Family Weekend • Smaller Scale • Open Mic Nights • Talent Competition • Televised Games • Music/Comedy Shows

16. Student Programming & the Community • Sponsorships • Find business in the community willing to sponsor our shows • Public Relations • Newspapers • Radio Stations

17. Student Programming Benchmarks • 4 Months • Have a community Welcome Back event that would include RSOs, Community Businesses, and live entertainment. • Have performance schedule set for upcoming year • Recruit new members • Hold elections for executive board • 8 Months • Have held at least two programs a month with attendance of over 50 students. • Found at least 10 sponsors • 12 Months • Have held two successful programs that have engaged both Campus and community. • Have a survey in the community Newspaper looking for programming ideas for next year.

18. Social Media • LinkdIn • Student Employment Network for Community Utilization • Flick-r • Photo streams for visual representation of programming • Facebook • Community Page for University AND Community Members • YouTube • Commercials • Alumni and Community Mini Series

19. Social Media • Social Media Guidelines • Engaging • Promotion • Provide Information • Be Outrageous • Create Talking Points • Connectedness

20. Refrences Alexander, J. H., & Koenig, H. F. (2001). University Experiences, the Student-College Relationship, and Alumni Support. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 10(3), 21-43. Bruning, S. D., McGrew, S., & Cooper, M. (2006). Town-gown relationships: Exploring university-community engagement from the perspective of community members. Public Relations Review, 32(2), 125-130. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036381110600021X Ciconani, E., Menzes, I., & Nata, G. (2011). University students’ sense of belonging to the home town: The role of residential mobility. Social Indicators Research, 33-45. doi: 10.1007/s11205-010-9716-2 Glynn Mangold, W., & Faulds, D. J. (2009). Social media:the new hybrid element of promotion mix. Business Horizons, 52, 357-365. Retrieved from http://itu.dk/ ~rkva/2011-Spring-EB22/readings/Mangold-SocialMedia.pdf Hull, R. (200). Town & gown must prosper together. Trusteeship, vol. 8, 28-31.

21. References (Cont.) Homepage | Appalachian Alumni Association | Appalachian State University. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2013, from http://alumni.appstate.edu/ Kim, S. H., Brunner, B. R., & Fitch-Hauser, M. (2006). Exploring community relations in a university setting. Public Relations Review, 32(2), 191-193. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0363811106000348 Martin, L. L., Smith, H., & Phillips, W. (n.d.). Bridging 'town & gown' through innovative university-community partnerships. The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal, 10(2) Rissmeyer, P. A. (2010). Student Affairs and Alumni Relations. New Directions for Student Services,130, 19-29. WOMMA - Home. Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2013, from http:// wordofmouthbook.com/

22. Thank you