Engagement in Practice: the Student Engagement Continuum (SEC) - Opportunities and Challenges for a Sustainable Pipeline Enhancement Model at an Urban Institution

摘要

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), located adjacent to the historic Richmond downtown, recognizes its role in a culturally diverse Richmond region. VCU is a comprehensive institution with nearly 32,000 students and is recognized for its "Community Engagement" and "Highest Research Activity" according to Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. As the 4th largest academic unit on VCU's campus, the School of Engineering is comprised of 2,000 students with demographics that reflect the diverse community in which it serves. The development of collaborations such as public-private partnerships and projects with local communities has been VCU Engineering's essential ingredient for talent development, not only because of well-established relationships with the business community, but also because these community partnerships give way to a continuum of college-bound students that translates into a sustainable diverse STEM pipeline. The desire to expand the number of public-private partnerships within the local community, however, presents both opportunities as well as challenges. The VCU School of Engineering's position is that the positive impact on the communities and the families within those communities far outweighs the obstacles that are encountered. In this paper, the approach towards a highly-coordinated student engagement continuum in an urban setting is presented, along with preliminary findings of the opportunities and obstacles faced by the community as well as the institution.