TRAVIS REINDL, JOBS FOR THE FUTURE (USA)

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON UNIVERSITY COSTS AND COMPACTS

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA15 JULY 2008

From Service to Stewardship: American Universities in the Civic

Space

American Higher Education’s Triad

TEACHING

Funded largely by

tuition revenues

and public subsidies

RESEARCH

Funded largely by

federal grants and

external investments

SERVICEFunded

largely by philanthrop

ic grants and

marginal tuition/subsidy dollars

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Forces for Change

New economy, new definition of success Ideas and talent rule, quantity vs. quality in job

growthParadox of place

Place more important than ever in an increasingly virtual world

Demographic shift Creates winners and losers among regions

3

Stewardship Defined

Stewardship is: Place-related (universities as globally aware and

locally committed) Interactive (universities as learners and teachers) Mutually beneficial (capacity of university and

community/region expanded through interaction) Integrated (reaches across teaching and

scholarship; embedded in institutional policies and practices)

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The Triad Revisited

LOCAL AND REGIONAL PRIORITIES

LEARNING

INNOVATION STEWARDSHIP

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Levers for Change

Finance Embed regional engagement in the mainstream of institutional

funding streams, rather than as a marginal add-on

Regulation Remove invisible but real walls between campus and

community (major and minor)

Accountability Include engagement as an indicator of university effectiveness,

standard for selecting and evaluating leaders

Faculty Incentives Change reward/promotion/tenure policies to more fully

embrace engagement (as opposed to service to discipline or institution)

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Where Are We? What’s Next?

State Actions Kentucky Regional Stewardship Trust Fund

Institutional Actions California State University-Fresno (stewardship as focus of

major capital campaign) University of Northern Iowa (stewardship as focus of

regulatory reform, new academic programming) Northern Kentucky University (revision of

reward/promotion/tenure policies; creation of competitive stewardship grants)

University of North Carolina-Pembroke (revision of reward/promotion/tenure policies)

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