CUMU Conference 2017

In 2017, the Division of Community Engagement (DCE) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) celebrated its ten year anniversary, offering a unique opportunity to critically reflect and ask ourselves:
• 'What' have the activities and services of the DCE meant to faculty, students, and community partners?
• 'So what' has the existence of a centralized unit done for teaching, research and the public service mission of the university?
• 'Now what' do we do over the next 10 years to continue to add value and promote community and civic engagement at the university?

This reflection allowed us to develop a compelling value proposition for a central academic support unit dedicated to community-academic engagement. In business marketing, a value proposition is a positioning statement that explains how a company provides unique benefit to its customers. We see the development of a value proposition as crucial given the changing context of public, urban institutions of higher education (e.g., changing budget models, demonstration of impact, etc.).

This session utilizes videos of VCU faculty and recent alumni to highlight the "What?' and 'So What?' of the DCE’s contribution to VCU and the community.
We then employ another common business tool, the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis, to dive deep into the 'Now What?'

Participants are invited to conduct a mini, action-based SWOT analysis calling upon their own experiences and questions about the future. Participants will leave the session with an action plan for developing their own value proposition.