Conference Examines Community Partnerships

A UC initiative to strengthen and build on the university's many connections to Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) led to a one-day conference for UC and CPS faculty and administrators Friday, May 11, from 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the Kingsgate Conference Center. The free conference is sponsored by the University of Cincinnati Institute for Community Partnerships (UCICP), in cooperation with the office of the Senior Vice President and Provost for Baccalaureate and Graduate Education. Anthony Perzigian, senior vice president and provost for baccalaureate and graduate education, announced May 3 that the Ohio Board of Regents has pledged up to $50,000 in matching funds to facilitate those partnerships.

Speakers will include Jonathan Tafel, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Access Programs, Ohio Board of Regents, and Esther Rodriquez, associate executive director for State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO), a nationwide network of executive officers who serve on coordinating and governing boards for postsecondary education.

The current UC partnerships with Cincinnati Public Schools are extensive and include:

Cincinnati Initiative for Teacher Education (CITE),

Service learning partnerships

Cooperation on AP courses

TechPrep Programs

GEAR UP (a five-year, $1.8 million federally funded collaboration between UC and 10 local and regional partners that serves children and their families at Burton and Parham elementary schools.)

The College of Education is currently conducting a survey to explore UC faculty relationships with CPS schools and the community. Possible topics to be covered at the conference include professional development for teachers, pathways that lead CPS graduates to a college degree at UC, links with University Libraries and other UC information providers, health issues and support in educational technology.

"Seed money will be provided for projects related to topic areas and a process for accessing these moneys will be distributed at the conference," explained conference coordinating committee member Lawrence J. Johnson, Dean, College of Education. "It is our hope that projects will emerge that result in more substantial funding and lasting relationships."

Members of the conference coordinating committee are: Kristi Nelson, Vice Provost for Academic Planning; Wayne Hall, Vice Provost for Faculty Development; Tom Hadley, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Human Resources; Lawrence J. Johnson, Dean, College of Education; and Esther Erkins, research associate, College of Education.

The conference is part of a larger initiative under development by the Office of the Provost to coordinate, increase and strengthen UC and PreK-16 initiatives involving the Cincinnati Public Schools as well as other districts in the city's suburbs. The new initiative will encompass the entire UC community, including the branch campuses .

"Basically, we're conducting an inventory right now, with the goal of cataloging what we're doing. This information will be the basis for developing more effective collaboration among colleges. More effective collaboration will, in turn, contribute to expanded and strengthened partnerships with the PreK-12 sector," explains Senior Vice President and Provost Anthony Perzigian.

Kristi Nelson, Vice Provost for Academic Planning, says the office is collecting that inventory through a survey. "We've met with the various deans, and we're gathering data from all of the colleges and building a database on the various programs. We've had a good response."