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Greensboro College (Greensboro,
NC)
The
Village 401 Project
Summary
The Village 401 project, initiated by the president of Greensboro College,
engages the institution with the surrounding community through collaborative
projects that provide service-learning, community-based research, as well
as community-service opportunities to students, faculty, and staff. Greensboro
College undertook a systematic planning process to select and engage community
partners within the College’s ZIP code, 27401.
The Practice
Greensboro College has the unique distinction of being located in downtown
Greensboro – a center of finance, commerce, government, culture,
health, and human services and a vibrant residential and shopping area.
A blend of historic sites and neighborhoods, public housing, public schools,
childcare services, business enterprises, faith-based organizations, arts
and cultural centers, and parks and sports facilities provides diverse
opportunities for collaborative programs. The idea for developing ways
to tie the College to the community as defined by ZIP code 27401 began
in the spring of 200l with the leadership of the president. The president
appointed an advisory committee of faculty members, students, and staff
to develop the “Village 401” concept with the community. The
president suggested the name because village connotes a collection of
individuals and organizations that are close geographically and tend to
band together for the common good.
The advisory committee collected and compared census data on population,
race distribution, per capita income, median income, and age within Greensboro.
The committee identified all properties other than individual residences
and assembled an inventory of nonprofit organizations. After collecting
this data, the committee held focus groups of community and neighborhood
stakeholders, faculty members, students, and staff to determine the feasibility
of a collaborative initiative. Based upon the information from the focus
groups, the advisory committee, guided by a retired faculty member who
was well connected to the community, conducted an inventory of the extant
engagement of the College with the community within its ZIP code to build
upon existing efforts. College leaders conducted 27 individual interviews
with key community leaders to learn more about community assets and needs.
Throughout this assessment phase, community leaders participated in campus-sponsored
“planning breakfasts” to discuss campus/community collaboration
and partnerships.
The advisory committee functioned as a task force for the project thus
launching the initiative. With all the data collected and reviewed, the
committee wrote a vision statement reflecting the partner relationships
of the initiative. Two members of the College’s President’s
Council served on the committee and kept the president apprised of the
initiative’s progress and direction. The president provided outside
funding to launch the initiative. With the success of the Village 401
initiative, Greensboro College is restructuring its institutional leadership
and infrastructure to provide more visibility and support. Two college
administrators will co-coordinate the Village 401 program and report to
the two members of the President’s Council.
Effectiveness
The rich diversity provided by the collaborative possibilities in the
Village 401 initiative has spawned unique and exciting learning experiences
for the students, faculty, and staff of Greensboro College. Students in
an Advanced Statistical Analysis course completed three community-based
research projects on teen parent education programs, downtown merchant
needs, and recruitment of new members to the historical museum. Business
administration majors conducted community-based research projects for
the Cultural District of Greensboro, including the Cultural Center, Central
Library, Children’s Museum, and YWCA. Psychology students in a research
methods class collaborated with the Greensboro Children’s Museum
to develop an assessment tool and collect as well as analyze the data
gathered. The Psychology Club organized book discussion clubs around Ernest
J. Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying, the book selected for
One City, One Book—a project of the Public Library and Friends of
the Public Library. More examples and descriptions are available (see
resource section). Most academic courses with Village 401 projects assess
student and community outcomes.
Resources
A complete description of the initiative, campus/community projects, and
engaged community organizations are available from the Village 401 website
(click on the community link, then Village 401 link).
Inventory instruments, list of stakeholders, future collaborations, and
current Village 401 projects are available from Rev. A.C. Brock, Greensboro
College Associate Dean of the Chapel and Campus Minister, (336) 272-7102,
ext 597, abrock@gborocollege.edu.
Contact Information
Mike Clark
Chief Information Officer
Greensboro College
815 West Market St.
Greensboro, NC 27401
Phone: (336) 272-7102
clarkm@gborocollege.edu
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