Students Connect the Community

by Rita Weighill

Initiatives connecting higher education institutions and the com-munity in collaborative efforts are

certainly not a unique concept, but in the midst of shrinking financial pools from state and federal pockets, those relationships have never been as essential as they are today.

While some requests are as straightforward as utilizing available space in campus classrooms, lecture halls or parking areas, other requests require adopting social issues that demand the infusion of creative solution.

A model depicting how the community and higher education can successfully share resources was rec-ently demonstrated when 34 school districts in Kansas and Missouri collectively expressed an urgent need for professional development resources to help them address a growing national concern among educators--the learning gap among students. Their goodwill efforts to effectively address the problem had been negated by slashed or frozen budgets, and yet they remained responsible for fulfilling a federally mandated charge to "leave no child behind."

Those limited financial resources within the school districts led to discussion with Park University to put forward a solution. Park's mission, as an entrepreneurial institution of learning, is to provide academic excellence which will prepare learners to think critically, communicate effectively and engage in lifelong learning while serving a global community--a mission which seemed a near perfect match for the school districts' professional developmen-tal needs. What resulted was the formation of "Connecting Learning Communities Conference: Addressing the Achievement Gap," a program jointly sponsored by Park University and the Liberty School District.

The conference was structured to assist educators from any size school district to gain access to the country's most preeminent education leaders. However, combining the vision of 34 school districts led to an energetic and progressive conference agenda that would require one additional and significant participant to become fully functional.

Sprint became that third key partner. They reviewed the comprehensive agenda and its intended outcome and agreed to participate as the presenting sponsor. Sprint's involvement completed the ideal organizational configuration needed to transform the conference from a dream into a community-accessible reality. In addition to providing volunteers and needed resources to facilitate the conference, Sprint also provided 100 teacher scholarships, a generous motion that opened the doors wider for budget depress-ed school districts to enroll their educators.

The attendance sheet at the end of conference listed more than 1,000 educators from 60 private and public school districts, who had traveled from five states to participate. The list also reflected an expansive range of attendees representing top administrators to first year teachers.

There was an overwhelming positive response received at the conference that included a pinnacle moment when Sprint announced to an appreciative and cheering audience their decision to recommit as the presenting sponsorship for the 2005 conference.

It truly doesn't get much better when you have multiple school districts, a private university and a public corporation combining their vision, energy and resources to address the educational needs on behalf of our children.

Rita Weighill is the Associate Vice President for Communication Services at Park University. She may be reached at 816.584.6211 or by email at rita.weighill@park.edu.