Campus Coalitions:Building Collaborative Relationships Between Faculty & Student Affairs

Administration

2009 NASPA Alcohol Abuse Prevention & InterventionJanuary 24, 2009

PANEL PRESENTERS: UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA

Krista Albach Boren, MSAssistant Director of Housing & Residential Life

Mica Harrell, MA, CHESAssistant Director of Health Promotion Services

Michael Jasek, MSAssistant Dean of Students

Debra Vinci, DrPH, MS, RD/LDNAssistant Professor & Health Education Program Coordinator

Workshop Objectives

1. Discuss how to build a research collaborative

2. Review benefits and impacts of collaboration

3. Summarize specific collaborations at UWF

4. Outline strategies for creating your own campus collaborations

Why Collaborate1. Don’t have to be an expert on everything

2. Build an alliance of people who are vested in the prevention work you do

3. Share resources

4. Share workload

5. Other reasons?

Campus Collaborations

1. UWF Alcohol Coalition

2. Interdisciplinary Research Team

3. Delphi - Living Learning Community

4. Alcohol Misuse/Abuse Prevention Programming

UWF Alcohol Coalition Accomplishments1. Mini grant

2. Increased visibility

3. Revised alcohol policies

4. Judicial sanctioning guideline

UWF Alcohol Coalition Accomplishments5. Campus and community assessment

6. Expanded campus and community resources

7. Alcohol programming research

8. Expanded collaboration

Broad Impacts1. Residence Life

2. Judicial Affairs

3. Greek Affairs

4. New Student Transitions

UWF Behavioral Health Research Collaborative

1. Assistant Director, Health Promotion Services

2. Director, Health and Counseling

3. Assistant Professor, Anthropology

4. Assistant Professor, Health Education

5. Associate Professor, Psychology

Interdisciplinary Research Team

Getting Started:1. Identify departments on campus who have faculty

studying health behavior such as anthropology, health education, nursing, psychology, and social work.

2. Determine if there are committees on campus that address health behavior such as an HIV committee, Healthy Relationships Task Force, and/or Campus Alcohol Coalition.

Interdisciplinary Research Team

3. Send an e-mail to faculty and committee members telling them about your role on campus and your interest in research and ask persons interested in working collaboratively on research to contact you.

4. Send a follow-up e-mail invitation inviting everyone to an introductory meeting on a developing behavioral health research collaborative.

1. Making connections

2. A set of regular research partners

3. Continuous motivation

4. Knowledge that research results will have an impact on the campus and community

What is in it for a Faculty Member?

Making Connections 1. Connect with campus student affairs

administrators and health education professionals delivering alcohol prevention.

2. Gain an understanding of campus culture related to alcohol use/misuse to identify potential involvement as researcher/ program evaluator.

3. Identify other faculty members on campus with similar research interests.

Regular Set of Research Partners

1. Provides continuous support in developing a focused research agenda.

2. Developed partnerships that increased visibility across campus; important in the tenure and promotion process.

3. Provides a research team to collaborate on grant applications, research and publications.

Continuous Motivation1. Bi-monthly meetings provide structure for

consistent progress toward identified goals.

2. Collaborating with individuals from diverse academic and research backgrounds truly enhance the quality of programs.

3. Feedback was “priceless”

4. Ability to do applied research

1. Tenure track faculty

2. Size and other qualities of the university

3. Qualities of academic departments & faculty relations to department

4. Personal interests, e.g. strong interest in research with well developed applied and theoretical focus

Factors Contributing to Success of Collaboration for Faculty

Lessons LearnedFrom a faculty perspective:

1. Do what you think is in your best interest.

2. There is a perspective that ad hoc research groups are “all talk” and “no action”.

3. For Dr. Vinci, “It is a waste of your time” – did not play out; result of collaborative efforts includes data for at least four articles and research plans for the next 2 years.

Delphi1. UWF’s First-Year-Experience Living Learning

Community

2. 350 First-Time-In-College Freshmen

3. 3 Buildings

4. Co-Curriculum Programming

5. Segmented Classes

• Academic Foundation Seminar

Delphi Committee1. Co-Chaired by the Assistant Dean of Students and

the Assistant Director of Housing and Residence Life

2. Committee consist of departments who have a role with a students first year on campus

3. Information and ideas are brought to the table to create a synergy

Academic Foundation Seminar1. Ten sections of the class were for students in Delphi

2. Common syllabus• Covered topics at the same time in each class• Certain days pulled multiple sections together to

cover a specific topic (i.e. Alcohol Education)

Co-Programming1. Fall semester is programming which enhances the

Academic Foundation Seminar class schedule

2. Both active programs and passive programs are organized

3. Programming focused on academics and healthy choices

Alcohol Misuse/Abuse Prevention Program1. Advisory board for programs

2. Partners for implementation of environmental strategies

3. Program planning is enriched and less burdened

4. Diverse point of view

Alcohol Misuse/Abuse Prevention Program5. Development of effective programs can lead to

additional funding

6. Increased networking across campus

7. Increased access to key groups

8. Needs assessment drives future research which then drives programming

Alcohol Misuse/Abuse Prevention Program9. Involvement in the research phase supports

program planning

10. Most bang for your buck... Ensures funds are best utilized

11. Established relationships can lead to additional research and inclusion in planning new initiatives

Benefits of Campus Collaborations

1. Increased resources for everyone2. More colleagues across campus3. Consistency of message4. Coordinated efforts5. Empirical research• Evidence based programming

6. Behavior and environmental change7. Thriving student body

General Recommendations

1. Be clear on your goals

2. Be willing to take the lead

3. Persistence

4. Be flexible

5. Reciprocate

Taking it Home

1. Identify 3 departments and/or faculty members for collaborative research

2. Brainstorm a couple of projects for applied research

3. Identify key campus and community stakeholders for coalition

4. Outline the mutual benefits this could offer

Questions

Michael Jasek, MSAssistant Dean of Students

Director of Student Transition Programs11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 21

Pensacola, FL 32514(850) 474-2384

mjasek@uwf.edu

Debra M. Vinci, DrPH, RD, LD/NAssistant Professor Health Education

Department of Health, Leisure & Exercise Science11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 72

Pensacola, FL 32514(850) 474-2598

dvinci@uwf.edu

Krista Boren Albach, MSAssistant Director

Department of Housing and Residence Life11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 21

Pensacola, FL 32514(850) 474-2463

kboren@uwf.edu

Mica Harrell, MA, CHESAssistant Director

Health Promotion ServicesCounseling and Wellness Services

11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 19Pensacola, FL 32514

(850) 474-2420mharrell@uwf.edu