The implications of this type of partnership on the planning process are infinite. As a group, we have responded to these challenges by offering an opportunity for feedback, by having meetings to discuss issues concerning all of us, by allowing ourselves the time to get to know each other and our reasons for being here, by accepting each other, by giving each other a baseline understanding of the curriculum we follow, by offering support to each other in times of need, and by continuing in this project after all has been said and done. These issues have played out in both explicit and subtler ways as the group has evolved. From deciding on the structure of meetings to working through diverging definitions of the communities we hope to work with, this has been new territory for us. These conceptual discussions are both complicated and enriched by the broad range of lived experiences and expectations which students and faculty alike brings to this work.
Students work and learn differently.
Some are more comfortable with process and others like to move quickly in deciding on and implementing an action. This tension affects not only the group's dynamics but also its strategies in working within the community. Similarly, faculty from each institution understands and interprets their roles in the partnership differently. Through this experience we have come to recognize the need to be more conscious of the language we use to talk about our work, the process we use to build this collaboration and the outcomes we expect from the partnership. This session will be an informal sharing of the story of this partnership from multiple perspectives in order to inspire participants to share their stories, ideas and suggestions regarding collaborations between community colleges and four-year institutions.