Quality Enhancement Plan: In its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), the University has embraced the concept of education synthesis – that is, the enhancement of undergraduate student learning by linking diverse elements of the entire university experience, in and out of the classroom, fostering synthesis across disciplines, and by helping students connect their academic and co-curricular experiences in order to better reach their goals after graduation. This intensely personal learning environment encourages students to achieve their full intellectual and personal potential.
The Millennial Initiative: In 2005 Western Carolina University purchased 344 acres of property adjacent to its main Cullowhee campus and announced the Millennial Initiative, and ambitious and comprehensive regional economic development strategy that will enable the University to partner with business, industry, and government. New property and portions of the existing campus will be used to create multi-use neighborhoods that will become home to a mix of academic buildings, research facilities, business, industry, and housing as part of a “knowledge enterprise zone.” There, University faculty and students, private industry, and government partners will conduct research and development into scientific and technological innovations that have commercial applications, possibly resulting in spin-off companies that may locate near campus. The Millennial Initiative is designed to give students intensive, hands-on educational opportunities while simultaneously promoting economic development and creating jobs for the surrounding community. The first project to be built on the Millennial Initiative property is a new $46.2 million complex that will house WCU’s programs in health and human services.
Stewards of Place: “The publicly engaged institution is fully committed to direct, two-way interaction with communities and other external constituencies through the development, exchange, and application of knowledge, information, and expertise for mutual benefit.”
Public Engagement is:
Place-Related. While the demands of the economy and society have forced institutions to be nationally and globally aware, the fact remains that state college and universities are inextricably linked with the communities and regions in which they are located. Exercising “stewardship of place” does not mean limiting the institution’s worldview; rather, it means pursuing that worldview in a way that has meaning to the institution’s neighbors, who can be its most consistent and reliable advocates.
Interactive. The etymology of the word “engage” speaks to the intertwining or meshing of entities. In this context, engagement refers to a spirit of give and take by the university and its partners. For institutions, this means occupying the role of learner as well as teacher. For community and regional partners, this means looking to the university as a resource, not necessarily as “the answer.”
Mutually Beneficial. Engagement should inure to the benefit of both parties involved. These initiatives should expand the learning and discovery functions of the institutions while enhancing community capacity to address and resolve the issues they confront. The work of the engaged institution is to be responsive to public needs in ways that are appropriate to the institution’s mission and academic strengths. Engagement initiatives should also build greater public understanding of and support for the campus as knowledge asset and resource.
Integrated. At a campus level, engagement must permeate all levels of the institution, and be integrated into its policies, incentive structures, and priorities. At a departmental level, engagement cuts across the imperatives of teaching and scholarships to bring unparalleled opportunities for the entire campus community -0 faculty, staff, and students.