Leader's Digest

 

Leaders’ Forum: University and Community Dialogue: Collaborating for Mutual Success

March 4, 2010, Views and Ideas from the Small Group Dialogues

6. What examples of University-Community collaboration would you add to our list of facts and examples?

• Great opportunities for students – Western-Fanshawe collaboration to also give University graduates practical skills via Fanshawe.
• Western Libraries’ support for literacy and reading
• Western students volunteer in local libraries (particularly the Read Program) – matched with one child; very successful.
• Western Libraries also collaborates on programs such as “London Reads” and has faculty speaking in the libraries.
• Currently, Roma Harris (Faculty of Information & Media Studies) is working on a research project with London Public Library.
• London Public Library partnered with Western’s Faculty of Education to do research linked to WIL (London non-profit employment service) and other community agencies.
• Faculty serve on boards across the city – to influence policy, share knowledge; we have lost a lot of white collar sector workers over the last years – need to influence city councilors to address this issue
• Representative on Canadian Mental Health Association board.
• TD Stadium fundraiser for high school and elementary sports.
• Faculty of Education community outreach.
• Reforest London - Graphic Services’ uToss scratch pad service (donating).
• Service learning/volunteering – residence-based community involvement.
• Philanthropy commissioners – student-led fundraising for Children’s Hospital Make a Wish
• Community transit strike – staff, faculty, alumni, community banded together to transport students.
• Faculty of Education’s Bridges Program for Abused Women, that provides food, bus tickets, and teachers to help them get a Grade 12 education--all funded via government from foundations; there are lots of small programs like this at Western but they’ve not been collected, recorded all in one place.
• Western contributes $1.5 billion annually to the London economy –34,000 students; $590,000 to United Way
• Reaching out to the region is important (such as immigration portal in Middlesex County and the London Public Library)
• University/high school students to collaborate to support literacy and low income families.