Saturday, 5 September 2009
Thursday, 13 August 2009
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
JISC Content Conference 29th June 2009
Delivered a session: Beyond the Library Walls -- the Benefits, Challenges and
Opportunties of Public Engagement.
Opportunties of Public Engagement.
I was able to use the excellent case study examples of Mapping Creativity and the MMU
Public Engagement Fellows to illustrate how use of Social Media has opened up the dialogue
between HE and external audiences. HE is moving towards an understanding that one
directional knowledge transfer is a poor example of what the outcomes can be if we open
ourselves to ideas and influences from outside the university.
Colleagues from Manchester on the Mimos project are making contact next week following the
presentation.
Sarah O'Donnell on the train going through the Cotswolds
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Friday, 15 May 2009
Corporate Social Resposibility and Public Engagement
Interesting chat on the bus today after Notre Dame. Basically Notre Dame University has the most beautiful campus that you have ever seen including an 85,000 seater-stadium, a golden dome, a recreation of the grotto in Lourdes, a lake etc. However these amazing facilities are not used by local people at all - only by the students. And the University doesn't really make it easy for local people to come and visit - they make the community park their cars right at the periphery of the campus, there's issues around security etc.
Part of my mission at MMU is to make the campus more accessible to local people - I want to find ways to share, not just the knowledge but the physical resources that we have but the question is whether this activity is seen to be part of public engagement? Or whether it is corporate social responsibility. I don't see how you can be effective at public engagement without being a good neighbour? But I realise that this makes the whole debate around what is public engagement even more complicated than it already is...we've heard so many different terms on this trip - civic engagement, public engagement, community engagement, outreach etc. Adding one more element to this could tip things over the edge.
Part of my mission at MMU is to make the campus more accessible to local people - I want to find ways to share, not just the knowledge but the physical resources that we have but the question is whether this activity is seen to be part of public engagement? Or whether it is corporate social responsibility. I don't see how you can be effective at public engagement without being a good neighbour? But I realise that this makes the whole debate around what is public engagement even more complicated than it already is...we've heard so many different terms on this trip - civic engagement, public engagement, community engagement, outreach etc. Adding one more element to this could tip things over the edge.
Thursday, 14 May 2009
Pictures on the Wall of Robinson
who were involved in the development of the centre and continue to use it. Each picture is
beautifully framed and tells a little of the history of the individuals. They confirm the
importance of the local residents and their 'ownership' of the space. There are no
university logos or any reference to the university in the site
IMG00071-20090514-1829.jpg
and private sector backers. It has taken 10 years to build the trust of the local
community, a number of whom now work in the centre. They have had their say on what is
offered in the centre (primarily intergenerational learning) and exactly how the building
should be laid out. The colourful images outside were designed by the local children and
implemented by a local artist.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
IMG00067-20090513-2138.jpg
We think this gets to the heart of questions we should be asking at MMU
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
IMG00051-20090512-1347.jpg
of Lansing we will meet with community partners this AM so will get on on different
perspective.
Monday, 11 May 2009
MSU Campus Tour
Finally arrived at our Michigan State Basecamp and checked into the Kellogg Center. All the Regen North partners are envious of this really brilliant campus facility. Imagine what we could do at MMU with a proper conference centre - there's a huge demand for top notch meeting space in Manchester and something like the Kellogg would really fit the bill.
We met up with John Beck, Hiram Fitzgerald and Deb Smith for a campus tour. All we can say is WOW - Michigan State University's campus has over 660 buildings, it spans over 1 million square feet - and has over 100 miles of "sidewalks". The scale is really "next level" compared to UK universities. They have a HUGE American football stadium, a baseball stadium, 3000 seater venues for plays and performances etc. etc. The tour was really fascinating. It gave me a chance to see Richard Braham from NESTA in action. Before this trip I was intrigued by what a policy communication person actually does - now I know - Richard is a brilliant networker and because he writes policy reports he asks the most insightful and penetrative questions. Interviewing is a real technique and I have a new found respect for the policy guys. I'm genuinely excited about reading the report that he puts together after the trip and I think that there is going to be lots to follow up on for MMU.
Anyway sorry about the detour - back to MSU campus...one thing that did strike me about the tour was the proliferation of the MSU brand. Their green colours and pine tree logo were literally everywhere. I don't think that this would work back in Manchester. Through the work of projects like the Beacon we are learning that there is a big trust building exercise that we need to go through with the local inner city community before they identify with and accept the MMU brand. Here - people seem to have much more of a sense of pride around their university brands - I guess in part due to the more sophisticated alumnus networks. I asked Hiram about this later on at dinner and he told me that this was a national phenomenon. The other big difference is that the US college and university "football" teams are the equivalent of our Manchester United's. So in effect - all the love and passion that people have for a team like Manchester United or City is bestowed on the local universities. One clear example of this on the tour was the Community Development Center - an outreach post beyond the MSU campus in East Lansing. It was branded with a big MSU logo - if MMU copied this model and put an MMU outpost in, say Harpurhey, and branded it MMU then local people would not identify with it and probably wouldn't use it. We'd need to work with the local community and see what kind of building, brand etc. that they would like for the outpost for this concept to flourish.
As I say the MSU campus is huge - they generate their own power, they have TV and radio stations, animal clinics, $1.7 billion annual budget, they have their own police and fire department, employ 16,000 people...
MSU's concept of outreach and engagement is important and I am sure that we will learn much more about it but generally it's about creating things WITH the public. This is important to me, as it is very much in line with what we are doing around public engagement at MMU. The other thing that came across strongly on the tour is the tangible link that MSU makes between it's engagement activity and its success in terms of winning grants and contracts. So, MSU has just won a $550 million contract for a cyclotron that will bring physicists to the campus from all over the world...Hiram was able to say that the community engagement activity was a big part of winning this contract - so there is a knock on financial argument that I guess we need to start making more effectively in the UK.
The final point I want to note about the tour is about Deb Smith's work. She is involved in correctional programme for offenders based around nutrition. A really great win win project where incarcerated people grow their own food - and get healthier (and are less likely to reoffend) as a result. Deb will be in Manchester in the Summer - so we need to make sure that the Regen North team keeps those links active because we can create partnerships with academics like David Haley and great examples of community projects like the Hulme Community Garden Centre.
We met up with John Beck, Hiram Fitzgerald and Deb Smith for a campus tour. All we can say is WOW - Michigan State University's campus has over 660 buildings, it spans over 1 million square feet - and has over 100 miles of "sidewalks". The scale is really "next level" compared to UK universities. They have a HUGE American football stadium, a baseball stadium, 3000 seater venues for plays and performances etc. etc. The tour was really fascinating. It gave me a chance to see Richard Braham from NESTA in action. Before this trip I was intrigued by what a policy communication person actually does - now I know - Richard is a brilliant networker and because he writes policy reports he asks the most insightful and penetrative questions. Interviewing is a real technique and I have a new found respect for the policy guys. I'm genuinely excited about reading the report that he puts together after the trip and I think that there is going to be lots to follow up on for MMU.
Anyway sorry about the detour - back to MSU campus...one thing that did strike me about the tour was the proliferation of the MSU brand. Their green colours and pine tree logo were literally everywhere. I don't think that this would work back in Manchester. Through the work of projects like the Beacon we are learning that there is a big trust building exercise that we need to go through with the local inner city community before they identify with and accept the MMU brand. Here - people seem to have much more of a sense of pride around their university brands - I guess in part due to the more sophisticated alumnus networks. I asked Hiram about this later on at dinner and he told me that this was a national phenomenon. The other big difference is that the US college and university "football" teams are the equivalent of our Manchester United's. So in effect - all the love and passion that people have for a team like Manchester United or City is bestowed on the local universities. One clear example of this on the tour was the Community Development Center - an outreach post beyond the MSU campus in East Lansing. It was branded with a big MSU logo - if MMU copied this model and put an MMU outpost in, say Harpurhey, and branded it MMU then local people would not identify with it and probably wouldn't use it. We'd need to work with the local community and see what kind of building, brand etc. that they would like for the outpost for this concept to flourish.
As I say the MSU campus is huge - they generate their own power, they have TV and radio stations, animal clinics, $1.7 billion annual budget, they have their own police and fire department, employ 16,000 people...
MSU's concept of outreach and engagement is important and I am sure that we will learn much more about it but generally it's about creating things WITH the public. This is important to me, as it is very much in line with what we are doing around public engagement at MMU. The other thing that came across strongly on the tour is the tangible link that MSU makes between it's engagement activity and its success in terms of winning grants and contracts. So, MSU has just won a $550 million contract for a cyclotron that will bring physicists to the campus from all over the world...Hiram was able to say that the community engagement activity was a big part of winning this contract - so there is a knock on financial argument that I guess we need to start making more effectively in the UK.
The final point I want to note about the tour is about Deb Smith's work. She is involved in correctional programme for offenders based around nutrition. A really great win win project where incarcerated people grow their own food - and get healthier (and are less likely to reoffend) as a result. Deb will be in Manchester in the Summer - so we need to make sure that the Regen North team keeps those links active because we can create partnerships with academics like David Haley and great examples of community projects like the Hulme Community Garden Centre.
This is how the Regen North team is forced to collaborate!
This is a shot of the senior management team! We're travelling into Motor City itself - downtown Detroit. Left to Right Bede Mullen (UCLAN), Oisin Macnamara (Northumbria) Sarah O'Donnell (MMU).
Sunday, 10 May 2009
Picture of Westin Detroit
5.30am
Wow, Can't really sleep because my brain is processing so much information. Picked up some really interesting things on the flight over here about MSU. In just over 10 years they managed to increase endowments from $ 1 million to over $ 1 billion!!!! I think that every UK institution with alumni-type activity needs to find out how our US friends managed to do this. Looking forward too, to arriving in East Lansing - I read yesterday that the population is 60% aged between 15 and 24 years old - so it will be interesting to see what elements of engagement with this type of population we can bring back to inner city Manchester?
Richard Braham from Nesta and Raf from Salford kept it interesting on the 10 hour flight. Thanks guys. Everyone on the trip is really lovely. Some of the party ventured into Detroit last night so I'll need to see if there is any pictures we can post of their fun.
Richard Braham from Nesta and Raf from Salford kept it interesting on the 10 hour flight. Thanks guys. Everyone on the trip is really lovely. Some of the party ventured into Detroit last night so I'll need to see if there is any pictures we can post of their fun.
Saturday, 9 May 2009
Detriot
We have arrived in Detriot. Looks. Very flat and agricultural. We are resting after
travelling for 16 hours. Work begins tomorrow
travelling for 16 hours. Work begins tomorrow
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
US Trip
On Saturday May 9th we will arrive at Detroit Metropolitan Aiport en route to
Michigan State University to meet with Prof. Hiram Fitzgerald Assoc. Provost for Outreach
and Engagement
Michigan State University to meet with Prof. Hiram Fitzgerald Assoc. Provost for Outreach
and Engagement
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