tncc vista and site supervisor guidance fall 2009

8/8/2019 TNCC VISTA and Site Supervisor Guidance Fall 2009

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Communications Update

THIRD ANNUAL TNCC

VISTA NETWORK MEETING

TNCC & CNCS TN STATE

OFFICE EXPECTATIONS

October 22-23, 2009Lee University, Cleveland, TN


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MH/NATIONAL CAMPUS

COMPACT

National Campus Compact and 35 State Campus Compacts provide advocacy, consultations, training,technical assistance, resources, research, funding, awards, capacity building, partnerships, andleadership development to promote civic engagement, service-learning, and community service inhigher education. TNCC is an independent coalition organized to increase statewide collaborationand leverage national resources.


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MH/NCC TNCC PROJECT GOALS

NATIONAL CAMPUS COMPACT INDICATORS OFENGAGEMENT THEMES

THEME ONE: Institutional Culture

THEME TWO: Curriculum & Pedagogy

THEME THREE: Faculty Roles & Rewards THEME FOUR: Mechanisms and Resources

THEME FIVE: Community-Campus Exchange


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MH/TNCC VISTAPROJECT

GOALS

Project Goal I: Create and expand community service and service-learninginfrastructure in Tennessee colleges and universities. Tasks and Activities:

Use the Furco Rubric to assess the levels of infrastructure in all TNCC memberinstitutions

Promote administrative and faculty action necessary to create/approve apermanent organizational structure to carry out responsibilities for sustainedservice-learning and community service activity

Create documents to assist the institution in framing organizationalinfrastructure (including such documents as: mission statements, vision

statements, staff job descriptions, short/long-term plans or strategic plans andinstitutional goals, inter-department agreements, administrative and facultyresponsibilities, training curriculum, etc.)

Design service-learning curriculum materials and a system for sustained facultytraining


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GOALS

Project Goal II: Create and expand mutually beneficial college-communitypartnerships that link university resources and needs with community

resources and needs. Tasks and Activities: Provide guidelines and resources that facilitate community partnership

development at TNCC member campuses

Expand federal work study activities through member campuses

Create and expand sustainable service programs (e.g. mentoring,tutoring, leadership training, service- learning, etc.) that connect higher

education students with at-risk K-12 students in both in-school and out-of-school settings

Provide on-line resources to support community partner development


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GOALS

Project Goal III: Develop training programs that willensure sustainability of high quality service-learningon TNCC member campuses. Tasks and Activities:

Provide on-line and print resources to support facultyknowledge and skills in service-learning pedagogy

Develop and implement Faculty Service-Learning

Workshops

Provide support for sustainable faculty developmenton TNCC member campuses


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EVALUATION

In Year III of the VISTA Project, TNCC must:

1. Significantly upgrade VAD clarity.

2. Start to require greater specificity.3. The goals, activities and steps must be building something sustainable

for somebody, there must be a clear link to growing student civicengagement or growing SL infrastructure or growing TNCCcapacityand there needs to be some verifiable measurement.

4. To some extent, (in a few cases a great extent) institutions have hostedVISTAs for their own purposes.

5. TNCC gave members lots of flexibility the first and second timearoundbut now its time for host a VISTA for TNCC reasons.

6. TNCC needs to move the resource to another institution if necessary.

7. TNCC will be closely monitored for this coming year. (JH/10/09/09)


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JH/OVERVIEW

Session Overview VISTA and TNCC Project Review & Approval

Site Review & Approval

Concept Papers and VADs

Reporting

Cost-Sharing

Q & A


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VISTA & TNCC


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VISTA in CONTEXT

Corporation for National and Community Service

(an agency of the U.S. Government)

Senior Corps (RSVP, FGP and SCP)

Learn & Serve America (School & Community-based)

AmeriCorps

1. State & National

2. NCCC

3. VISTA (indirect servicecapacity-builders)


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JH/COMPACT CHALLENGES

CNCS has occasionally challenged the development of Compactprojects by suggesting these projects lack a clear poverty focus.

The way to counter these challenges is to ensure that we can:1. Document real (measurable) growth in student civic

engagement

2. Track student engagement to poverty-focused initiativesin the community

3. Document real (measurable) growth in theimplementation of SL methodology by faculty

4. Establish a civic engagement baseline for eachinstitution (a part of each VISTA members VAD*)

* VISTA Assignment Description


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JH/TNCC VISTAPROJECT GOALS

How would this proposed VISTA activity:

Grow and sustain higher education student civicengagement?

Grow and sustain service-learning in highereducation institutions?

Develop institutional community service/civicengagement infrastructure?

Help build greater TNCC capacity/infrastructure?


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JH/BUILDING CAPACITY FOR

TNCC

The TNCC VISTA project is an important piece of TNCCs earlydevelopment. Eventually, this federal resource will be moved to other

community initiatives. TNCC must focus on how VISTA members can contribute to TNCC

infrastructure while they are assisting their individual institutions indeveloping service-learning infrastructure and other related capacities.

Ultimately, TNCC will become the source to which all TN highereducation institutions turn for guidance and expertise in the area of

student civic engagement, service-learning pedagogy, communitypartnership development and the like.

We see many early examples of how individual VISTA members arecontributing to their host institutionsbut few examples of how theyare contributing to the TNCC itself.


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VISTA CONTRIBUTIONTOTNCC

Each institution should consider TNCC when developing a Concept Paper and VAD.How does the VISTA service help TNCC? Think about a contribution that theVISTA can perform that can benefit the central office for replication to other

TNCC member institutions for example:

Infrastructure templates/Human resource templates/Financialmanagement templates/Community development templates/Standardoperating procedures manual/Training manuals

Marketing brochures, flyers, advertisements/Website links/Best practicepublications/Funding prospects

Letters to community partners/Lessons in Liabilities/RiskManagement/Newsletters/Event management/Special projects/New ideasfor research/Student reflections

Service-learning syllabi/Recruitment of faculty volunteers for faculty-to-faculty service-learning mentoring program/Other


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JH/VISTAPROJECTS

Project Review

&

Approval


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JH/DECISIONS ONALLOCATIONS

TOINDIVIDUALPROJECTS

Poverty-related community need

Scope of the plan (capacity-building sustainability) Project/site ability to manage

Equitable distribution of resource across projects

Alignment with CNCS Strategic Priorities

The CNCS TN State Office allocates a number of service-years to projects with the expectation that thoseresources will be fully used. From that point on, it isup to the project to determine how best to use thoseresources.


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JH/TNCC MANAGEMENTOF

VISTAPROJECT

If TNCC manages well, Mani and the Advisory Councilwill be able to make most decisions internally.

Management challenges include:

Producing less than allocated may result in a loss ofresources to other projects

Heavy initial production may result in the StateOffice denying new applications and/or thereenrollment of current VISTA members.


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JH

Site and Member

Review and Approval


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JH/SITEREVIEW & APPROVAL

CRITERIA

generally consistent with Project approval criteria:

The scope of institutional need (local, regional or statewide) asdescribed and explained in the Concept Paper

The extent to which the proposed VISTA member activities makesense as a solution to the need.

The extent to which there is a clear plan for long-term

community or institutional sustainability.

The quality/clarity of the VAD (clear benchmarks and targetdates)

(Cont.)


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JH/SITEREVIEW & APPROVAL

CRITERIA

The level of project/host/community supportproposed for the VISTA.

The site track-record for adherence to federalregulations, CNCS policy and for the management ofand support to VISTA members.

The extent to which the site has demonstrated an

appropriate use of VISTA member services in the past(i.e. capacity-building, especially the extent to whichsites and TNCC are sustaining or benefitting from thework of former VISTAs.


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JH/MEMBERAPPLICATION

REVIEWPROCESS

Step I

To the extent possible, we want to help projects avoid recruitingslots we ultimately cant approve. To achieve this end, we willlimit our review of member applications to only those slots forwhich we have pre-approved a Concept Paper. Approvaldecisions will be based on both the quality of the proposal and

the state allocation.

The overall impact on poverty in Tennessee can be maximizedonly if we are able to fill all allocated slots. Because not allprojects/sites will be able to successfully recruit for everyapproved slot, approving more than the minimum number ofCPs/VADs per training is a necessary strategy.


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JH/MEMBERAPPLICATION

REVIEWPROCESS

Step 2:

Step 2 is the process of reviewing all successfully submittedmember applications and approving an appropriate numberbased on our allocation. If all approved projects/sites recruitsuccessfully, the number of member applications may exceed thenumber we can send to training (PSO). In that event, we willrely on the site review criteria (plus the strengths of the

individual applicants) to identify the applications having thegreatest potential impact on poverty in Tennessee.

CPs/VADs are accepted only from TNCC

Applicants that are not approved for one PSO may request to beheld over for consideration in a future PSO.


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JH

Concept Papers

& VADs


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JH/CPAND VAD GUIDELINES

There should NOT be staff-type or direct-svc-type activities inthe CP and VADs. A VISTA should NOT monitor, coordinate,

maintain or be a documentarian. To some extent, a VISTA maydo these during initial implementation stages..but the idea is forthe institution (and/or partners) to take it over (sustainability).Thus, the VISTA SHOULD be building monitoring systems,developing coordination plans, creating record systems, etc.

Institutions should not see the VISTA member as being their newcapacity rather than using him or her to build new/sustainablenon-VISTA capacity. Ask yourself, who will do these whenVISTAs are gone. The VAD should help the institution and VISTAmember understand that ultimately, it is a local responsibility and that local capacity must be created.


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Somake certain that VISTA members:

Do 'indirect' (capacity-building) serviceNOT direct service

Follow a well-developed VAD (w/measurable and clearly defined goalsand objectives)

Do not have staff roles as a VISTAs primary responsibilities (i.e.coordinators, managers, clerks). Proposing a staff position tocoordinate part of a program is not an appropriate role for a VISTA

Serve full-time (i.e. no school or employment)

Have an on-site supervisor that is aware of the 'basic' VISTApolicies/regulations

NOTE: The CP and/or VAD should clarify "Who will do this when the VISTAis gone?


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and

Growth of service-learning at your institutions is critical

Make sure that VISTA members are being programmed to buildtracking systems to measure growth in SL and student civicengagement (if tracking systems are not already in place).

Make sure the VAD activities/steps are clear and well-defined.VISTA members must know the specifics of what needs to be

done, by when and who is ultimately responsible. Activities andSteps calling for a VISTA to assisthelpwork with etc. willultimately lead to confusion and limited accomplishments.


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A strong CP will provide data on the current number of facultyimplementing SL methodology, current number of students

engaged in SL as part of their curriculum, current number ofsustaining community partners, etc. If this information is notknown by the institution, then the collection of such data shouldbe a part of the proposal and VAD. In other words, CPs shouldeither say that this information is not known and propose thatthe VISTA develop a means of measuring itor the CP shouldprovide it as supportive data (this is not necessarily related tothe Furco Rubric).

CPs/VADs for a 2nd or 3rd service year must build on theaccomplishments of previous VISTA service. The duplication ofprior service activities is a sign of wasted resources.


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VADEXAMPLE

Scenario: The ultimate SL goal is to have SL methodology become astandard part of all teacher preparation programs.

a VISTA could:

Research and disseminate information (especially within theCollege of Education) about teacher prep programs/courses thatteach SL methodology

Conduct SL methodology focus groups with faculty

Design a SL curriculum for various K-12 levels

Design a SL curriculum that could be a week or 2-week longsegment of existing K-12 methodology courses

Create or update an existing teacher prep SL methodologysyllabus


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JH

Reporting


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JH/TNCC QUARTERLY

REPORTING

TNCC Quarterly Reporting

Structure the narrative to aggregate all TNCC VISTA memberaccomplishments for the reporting period.

Concentrate on impact rather than activity. Example: It would be more helpful to report that a VISTA

established 4 sustained SL partnerships with local nonprofits thanto report that the VISTA made 30 presentations to local nonprofitsor that s/he developed and distributed 10,000 SL brochures. Wewant to be able to begin answering the 'so what' questions.

To date, there has been several hundred thousand federal taxdollars spent in moving TNCC toward full sustainability...andhelping individual institutions develop partnerships and growstudent engagement in their communities. How can VISTAaccomplishments (impact) be quantified so that we have a sense

of value for the federal investment?


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JH/Institution-Site

REPORTING

Site Reporting (designed primarily by TNCC)

When reporting community partnershipdevelopment or grant funding, provideorganization names, locations, dates, etc.

Specify data (i.e. not many or several, etc.) andfully describe particularly impressive or unique

accomplishments. Report/explain when VISTA member service

accomplishments become sustainable.

Include VISTA member input but dont relinquish

control of reporting to VISTAs.


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JH/VISTAMember

REPORTING

Member Reporting (designed by TNCC & institution)

Include accomplishment details on VAD documentcumulativeas the service year progresses

Submit the completed VAD during the 12th month of service

Future Plans Forms (on-line in MyAmeriCorps Portal): TheVISTA member initiatesform is open 90 days prior to Close of

Service. The CNCS State Office recommends that every VISTA site

supervisor provide their President [1] a copy of the VISTAscompleted VAD and [2] a members written narrative reflectionof their service year, accomplishments, challenges andsuggestions. (tangible evidence of TNCC investment)


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JH/Cost-Sharing

Cost-Sharing


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JH/COST-SHARING/FUTURE

SUSTAINABILITY

Cost-sharing expands available resources and isstrongly encouraged, particularly in projects wishing

to have AmeriCorps*VISTA resources beyond thethird year.

As a cost-share project your organization contributesthe living allowance current, $10,296.00 per year

for each VISTA member. TNCC requires that the $10,296.00 check be sent to

TNCC/Lipscomb University BEFORE the VISTAcandidate is approved for training (PSO).


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JH/MH

Q & A

Jerry Herman - Mani HullAnd Participants

tncc vista and site supervisor guidance fall 2009

Documents