Community Development @ Miami University

Presented by Patricia Martinez, Associate Director of Residence Life and Vicka Bell-Robinson, Coordinator of Living Learning

Communities

Overview• Introduction to Community• Community at Miami– Boyer’s Principles– Learning Communities

• Break– Six Strategies for Community Development– Academic Advising

• Bringing the Values to Life through Community Development• Group Work• Wrap Up

What is Community?

Community is everywhere. You find community in church, at school, in the grocery store, and even the zoo.

The shared experience that a group of people have together forms a community.

Some communities last for decades, while others only last a moment.

Each community experience leaves a mark on its members, some are more salient than others.

VBR

Communities at Miami

Other than Residence Life, what are some communities that exist at Miami?

• Athletic Teams• Greek Organizations• Class Groups• Departments• Offices• Student Organizations• Facebook

How Do Residential Communities Differ from Other Communities?

The difference between us and everyone else, is not the gathering, the shared space, or the

number. The difference is in the

INTENTION.

Miami University Residence Life Mission Statement

The Office of Residence Life collaborates with other offices to facilitate students’

successful adjustment to and transitions through their collegiate experience.

We try to provide a safe and supportive environment promoting academic success, personal development, involvement in campus life, and understanding of intercultural issues.

We support the University’s commitment to build citizen leaders for the future.

PARSM

Community @ Miami

Learning CommunitiesBoyer

Academic

Advising

Six Strategies

Community enables growth, learning, and

self-authorship.

Community promotes interaction and friendship, respect and inclusion, celebration and fun.

Principles of Community

Ernest Boyer, in his book "Campus Life: In Search of Community," offers six principles of community.

• Purposeful• Open• Just• Disciplined• Caring• Celebrative

PURPOSEFUL

A place where students, faculty, and staff share goals and collaborate for personal development, value clarification, and learning; a place where creativity and innovation are expressed. ...

OPEN

A place where freedom of expression is honored and where civility is powerfully affirmed; a place that fosters dialogue and advocacy. ...

JUST

A place where the value of each person is paramount and where diversity education is pursued. ...

DISCIPLINED

A place where individuals accept their obligations to the group and where well-defined policies and procedures guide responsible decision-making for the common good....

CARING

A place where the well-being of each member is compassionately supported and where service to others is encouraged....

CELEBRATIVE

A place where the heritage of the institution is remembered and where rituals affirming both tradition and change are widely shared….

Making Sense Out of Nonsense

FIND A

COMMONALITY AMONG YOUR GROUP

VBR

Learning Communities“The concepts of ‘learning,’ ‘personal development’ and ‘student development’ are inextricably intertwined and inseparable. Higher education traditionally has organized its activities into ‘academic’ affairs (cognitive development) and ‘student affairs’ (affective or personal development).

However this dichotomy has little relevance to post-college life, where the quality of one’s job performance, family life and community activities are all highly dependent on cognitive and affective skills.”

Student Learning Imperative, ACPA 1993

Learning Communities @MiamiThe mission of Living Learning Communities at Miami University is to create and EXTEND STUDENT LEARNING opportunities outside of the classroom that heighten student intellectual and personal growth.

Communities are PURPOSEFUL attempts to integrate curricular and co-curricular experiences that complement and extend classroom learning and growth.

Learning Communities @ Miami

These communities foster faculty and resident interaction that enhances both intellectual and personal growth of the residents. Each community is built around a specific field of study or area of interest and is structured so students have a HIGH DEGREE OF INVOLVEMENT in its formation.

Learning Communities @ Miami

Curricular – Corresponds with an academic course and or specific department.

• Environmental Awareness Program• Languages (French, Spanish, German, Chinese)• Mosaic • CHANGE• Courses In Common • Honors and Scholars• International • HELM (Health Enhancement & Lifestyle Management)• SEP/URO (Scholastic Enhancement Program/Undergraduate Research

Option)

Learning Communities @ Miami

Interest – Residents have identified interest in a certain topic, but this topic is not necessarily connected to a department.

• TAS (Technology and Society)• WiSDEM (Women in Science Disciplines, Engineering and Mathematics)• CTA (Celebrate the Arts)• Sorority• Red Hawk Traditions

Learning Communities @ Miami

Student Created – The residents that live in these communities have an opportunity to decide what their focus(es) will be for the school year.

• Flower Miami Manor• Hahne Ogden• Hepburn Porter• Morris Scott• Heritage Commons Swing

Learning Communities @ Miami

• Advisory Councils• LLC Kickoff• LLC Timeline• LLC Funding

Advisory Councils

Advisory Councils are made up of people with an invested interest in the learning community. Those people will likely include Advisory staff, faculty, a student from each hall within the council, a central office member, and other University personnel.

Advisory Council Expectations

• Meet monthly for the first semester, excluding the months of August and December

• Set semester long goals due to Vicka by September 25th

• Submit minutes to Vicka, all of the members of your council, and your Coordinator, no less than one week after the meeting occur

• Each hall is responsible for having one student representative on the council.

• Each council is expected to plan something HUGE for their community each semester.

LLC Kickoff• August 17th from 7 – 9 for first year areas• Sometime during the first week of classes for Upper class areas• Introduce the members of the LLC to the LLC Topic• Communities that are spread across several buildings (HELM, Red Hawk, CIC)

should be working together as long as it not physically difficult.• Communities with multiple topics in their building can plan 1 big kickoff event that

highlights the various areas within the community (McBride, Dorsey, Morris)• Kickoffs should be interactive, related to the topic of the community, entertaining,

and fun• Incorporate your RA staffs• Incorporate as many advisory council members as you can• Your proposed budget is due to Vicka by August 4th • Evaluation is due to Vicka by August 31st

LLC Funding• Living Learning Community (LLC) funding should be used for intentional

programming that supports the academic mission of the university. Programming should be associated with the hall theme or support the goals and vision of the community, which should include assessment of the needs and interests of the residents in the community. In addition, programming should include faculty or staff and have clear educational goals and objectives.

• This budget should not be used to replace Hall Council, RHA, or any other university or community funding sources. In addition, there will be many times that the Hall Council, students or other funding sources should be contributing to the larger programming initiatives.

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LLC Funding Guidelines• The information must be submitted 10 working days prior to the date of

the program. • Approval/Denial or a request for additional information will be

communicated via email. • Programs approved for LLC funding will receive funding through their Hall

Council accounts. ORL will transfer the funding to that hall account. • The contact person is responsible for sending Patty Martinez a follow-up

report (documenting the program and how much money was spent and in what capacity) within one week after the event.

Learning Communities @ MiamiSo, what? Now, what?

On or before Aug 3 – Meet with your central staff member to discuss plans for your Advisory Committee

• Meeting locations• Most ideal meeting times• Existing Dynamics of the group• Who will convene the meeting• Initial goals• Which Res. Life person will take minutes• LLC KickoffVBR

Learning Communities @ MiamiSo, what? Now, what?

FALL TIMELINE

Learning Communities @ MiamiSo, what? Now, what?

RESOURCES

Six Strategies for Building Community

• Five Weeks• All Hall Programming• Corridor Programming• Individual Conversations• Passive Programming• Staff Development

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First Five Weeks

• Events and discussions occurring in the first five weeks of the semester. This time period is crucial for setting the tone for the community for the year. Some areas to focus on at this time include: Establishing connections, personal safety, fire safety, impact of high risk alcohol use, diversity, and academic success.

All Hall Programming

• Events advertised and designed for the entire hall.

Corridor Programming

• Events tailored specifically to a corridor.

Individual Conversations

• This is probably one of the most effective means of connecting with a student. Striking a conversation with a student about class, home, involvement, world events can lead to meaningful interactions.

Passive

• Anything educational that requires little or no human interaction, however it may lead to further discussions. This can include bulletin boards, wearing ribbons, or handing out facts regarding an issue on campus.

Staff Initiatives

• Building community within the hall staff. This can include professional development opportunities, teambuilding, and recognition programs.

Academic Advising

Academic Advising Plays an Important Role in Community Development.

• Individual Conversations• Student Learning and Development• Intentionality• Partnerships with Faculty and Academic Departments

Putting the Pieces Together Miami University Office of Residence Life Values

Respect, Compassion, & Peaceful RelationshipSix Strategies

Integrity & EthicsBoyer

Meaningful PartnershipsLearning Communities, Academic Advising

Staff DevelopmentSix Strategies

Putting the Pieces Together Miami University Office of Residence Life Values

Student Learning & DevelopmentLearning Communities, Academic Advising, Six Strategies, Boyer

Creativity and IntentionalityBoyer, Learning Communities, Academic Advising, Six Strategies

DiversityLearning Communities, Boyer, Six Strategies

Celebration Boyer, Learning Communities, Six Strategies

COMMUNITY @ Miami

Final Thoughts, Questions, Comments