Call it colleagues helping colleagues.
The Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative provides technical assistance through its Partnership Resource Teams. This colleagues-helping-colleagues model is available to colleges, districts, and centers interested in getting support on issues that matter most to them.
The process begins with a short Letter of Interest from the institution’s CEO. Once a request is approved, a team of subject matter experts is drawn from a pool of system and partner volunteers, with the team’s composition based on a process that matches members’ their knowledge and experience with the areas of focus identified by the institution. The team’s composition is reviewed by the institution’s CEO to ensure there are no unintended conflicts with team assignments – which means the institution’s CEO should check with faculty and administrative leaders to keep potential conflicts at bay. IEPI draws heavily on community college personnel with the required expertise and familiarity with the system to assist institutions.
Partnership Resource Teams make three visits. Visits consist of:
- An initial gathering of information.
- Assisting the institution in developing improvement strategies and timelines via an Innovation and Effectiveness Plan.
- Providing follow-up support.
Visits are scheduled based on need and readiness and on the calendars of institutional personal and Partnership Resource Team members.
Institutions may express interest in receiving mini-Partnership Resource Team assistance for any relatively narrow focus related to institutional effectiveness. Mini-Partnership Resource Teams will visit the institution once.
What can you expect? Institutions will find that Partnership Resource Teams will work diligently to understand the issues, help develop solutions, and then assist in implementing those solutions with a focus on continuing improvement. Partnership teams will also help the institution chart a road to improvement through an Innovation and Effectiveness Plan. That plan should include a list of any additional resources – and dollar amounts – needed to begin implementing suggested improvements. Grants of up to $200,000 in seed money are available to institutions that receive team visits and submit their Innovation and Effectiveness Plans.
IEPI is planning to make available to institutions using a Partnership Resource Team the opportunity to participate in a “community of practice,” a voluntary effort endeavoring to promote the sharing of ideas across institutions.
IEPI asks each institution to report out their lessons learned in statewide venues, such as the RP Group Student Success Conference; Academic Senate Plenary; CCLC Annual Conference; and the ACCCA Conference. All necessary registration and travel expenses for such presentations will be reimbursed by IEPI.
