University–City
EPICPartnerships
Structure,Dynamics,Flexibility
Campus–CommunityPartnershipsfor
AdvancingSustainabilityWorkshop
Chicago,IL●U.S.EPARegion5
MikeGreco,AICP
Director,ResilientCommuni7esProject
CenterforUrbanandRegionalAffairs(CURA)
UniversityofMinnesotaTwinCi7es
November17,2016
‘The12Tenets’
UniversityandCommunity
Partnership
PurposefulAdvancingofthe
SocialGood
U7lizesExis7ngCourses
StudentsAreAc7velyEngaged
ScaledforImpact
TheProgramis
Mul7disciplinary
FacultyOpt-In
PartnersChosenthrough
Delibera7veSelec7onProcess
DefinedGeographicFocus
ProjectsDefinedbyUniversityCommunityConsensus
MutualInvestmentbytheCity
andUniversity
DefinedTimeLimit
WhatIstheEPICModel?
Connectexis7ngcoursesatacollegeoruniversity
…taughtintheirexis.ngways
…byexis.ngfaculty
…toasinglecity
…overanacademicyear
…toworkonsustainability-relatedprojects
…iden.fiedbycitystaff
HowDoestheModelWork?
PartnercompeIIvelyselected(RFP)+contributesfinancially
Citydefines10−30projects+iden7fiesprojectleads
Universitymatcheseachprojectwithoneormorecourses
Projectleads,faculty,anduniversitystaffcollaboraIvely:
—  clarifyandscopeprojects
—  iden7fyandengagecommunitypartnersandstakeholders
Studentscompleteprojectsaspartofregularcoursework
StudentsdeliverfinalpresentaIons+workproductstocity
ResilientCommuni7esProject(RCP)
UniversityofMinnesota
Communitypartners:
§ CityofMinnetonka
§ CityofNorthSt.Paul
§ CityofRosemount
§ CarverCounty
§ CityofBrooklynPark
CommunityProjects:113
UofMNCourses:150+
UofMNDepartments:40
Students:1,500+
Par7cipa7ngDepartments
Agronomy
Anthropology
Architecture
Bioproducts&BiosystemsEngineering
BusinessAdministra7on
Civil,Environmental,&Geo-Engineering
Communica7onStudies
CommunityHealthPromo7on
Design
EnvironmentalHealth
EnvironmentalScience,Policy,&Management
Fisheries,Wildlife,&Conserva7onBiology
Forest&NaturalResourceManagement
GeographicInforma7onSystems
Geography
Gerontology
GraphicDesign
Health,PhysicalEduca7on&Recrea7on(UMD)
Hor7culture
HumanResources&IndustrialRela7ons
HousingStudies
Journalism&MassCommunica7on
LandscapeArchitecture
Law
LiberalStudies
Maternal&ChildHealth
Organiza7onLeadership,Policy&Development
Psychology
PublicAffairs
PublicPolicy
PublicHealthAdministra7on&Policy
Recrea7on&ResourceManagement
ScandinavianStudies
Science,Technology,&EnvironmentalPolicy
SocialWork
Spanish&PortugueseStudies
SustainabilityStudies
Urban&RegionalPlanning
UrbanStudies
YouthStudies
TypicalAnnualSchedule
Oct–Feb:Requestforproposals
March:Reviewprocess/partnerannounced
April–Aug: —  Citystafforienta7on
—  Coursematching/projectscoping/courseprep
—  Contractnego7atedandsigned
Sept:Kickoffevent
Fall/Springsemesters:Coursesàreports/presenta7on
May:End-of-yearevent
HowtheModelWorks:TheBigPicture
RCP–BrooklynParkPartnershipTimeline
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
Task
Projectdefinition(update)
Coursematchingforfallsemester
Class-projectscopingforfallsemester
Gatheringprojectbackgroundinfo/dataandconvening
stakeholders
RCP–BrooklynParkKickoffEvent
Fall-semesterclassesbegin(Sept6)
Classroomvisitsand/orinitiationmeetingswithstudent
teams
Class-projectmanagementandparticipation(leadfield
trips,provideadditionalbackgroundinfo,answerproject
questions,connectstudentswithstakeholders,review
interimworkproduct,conductmid-projectcheck-in,etc.)
Coordinateandattendfall-semesterstudent
presentations
Fall-semesterclassesend(Dec.14/Dec.22)
Receivefinalreportsfromfallsemester
Coursematchingforspringsemester
Class-projectscopingforspringsemester
Gatheringprojectbackgroundinfo/dataandconvening
stakeholders
Spring-semesterclassesbegin(Jan.17)
Classroomvisitsand/orinitiationmeetingswithstudent
teams
Class-projectmanagementandparticipation(leadfield
trips,provideadditionalbackgroundinfo,answerproject
questions,connectstudentswithstakeholders,review
interimworkproduct,conductmid-projectcheck-in,etc.)
Coordinateandattendspring-semesterstudent
presentations
RCP–BrooklynParkEnd-of-YearCelebration
Spring-semesterclassesend(May5/May13)
Receivefinalreportsfromspringsemester
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
TypicalProgramStructure
University
Program
Manager
CityProgram
Coordinator
Project1:
City
Project
Lead
Course1:
Faculty+
Students
Course2:
Faculty+
Students
Course1:
Faculty+
Students
Project2:
City
Project
Lead
Course2:
Faculty+
Students
Course3:
Faculty+
Students
StaffingandTimeCommitment
University:
§  Director(0.25FTE)
§  ProgramManager(1.0FTE)
§  GraduateProgramAssistants(0.25–0.5FTE)
City:
§  Programcoordinator(15–20hoursperweek)
§  Projectleads:3–4hoursperweekperproject-course
match)
RequestforProposals
Communityinforma7on
Sustainabilitystatement(orqualityoflife,efficiency,resilience,etc.)
Administra7veandfinancialcapacity
Proposedprojects(10–30)
Publicinvolvement
Long-termbenefits
Demonstra7onofsupport
CityPartnerSelec7onCriteria
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
Buy-infromCityleadership
ProjectsinCityworkplan
Readinessforpartnership
Genuinesustainabilityinterest
Reasonableprojectscopes
Fundingavailability
SekngExpecta7ons:CityResponsibili7es
Commitment,Time,andEnergy
§  CityProgramCoordinator/Manager:15–20hours/week
§  ProjectLeads:3–4hours/week
Moreinvolvement=bemerresults
§  Enthusiasm
§  Communica7on
Dataandbackgroundinforma7on
Engagementofstakeholders(residents,neighborhood
groups,businesses,nonprofits,otheragencies,etc.)
SekngExpecta7ons:
WhattheUniversityWillProvide
Valueadded(addi7onalcapacity,cukngedgeideas,energy+enthusiasm)
‘ExpandingtheConversa7on’(willnotreplaceconsultants)
Breadth/depthofpartnership(nottypicalservicelearning)
Rangeofclassesandqualityofwork
Citydiscredi7ng(some)studentworkisfine
Providingforumsforengagement
(Good)Press
NotTradi7onalClient-ConsultantModel
Studentsarenotprofessionals
Notbeingpaidtodeliveraspecifiedworkproduct
Students/facultymaynotbefamiliarwithlocal
government
Timelimita7onofacademicsemester
ProjectMatching
GeneratedbybothCityandUniversity
Itera7veprocess
Concurrentvs.sequen7alcourses
‘Poundthepavement’/knockondoors
Wordofmouth
HSG5481:
PromoIng
Independencein
Housingand
Community
(fall)
Housingand
AginginPlace
Goal:Developprogramsor
policiestoprovidehousing
op7onsforresidentstoage
inplace
GERO5105:
MulIdisciplinary
PerspecIveson
Aging
(fall)
SW8251:Social
WorkPracIcein
Health,DisabiliIes,
andAging
(fall)
PA5261:Housing
Policy
(spring)
PA5242:
Environmental
Planning,Policy,and
DecisionMaking
(spring)
MBA6504:Carlson
ConsulIngEnterprise
(spring)
PA5512:Workforce
andEconomic
Development
(spring)
GreenBusinessPark
Development
Goal:Assessthepoten7al
foragreenbusinessparkin
Rosemount
Chaska Community Solar Development
Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering
Watertown Whitewater Recreation Park
Urban Planning, Public Affairs, Natural Resource Management
Victoria Ecotourism Marketing Plan
Natural Resource Management, Journalism and Mass Communication
Suburban Placemaking and Community Gathering Spaces
Urban Studies, Liberal Studies
Rosemount Urban Agriculture
Sustainability Studies, Urban Planning
Rosemount Eco-Green Business Park
Business Administration, Public Policy, Public Affairs
North St. Paul Live/Work Housing and Downtown Revitalization
Housing Studies, Public Affairs
Implementing Living Streets Policy in North St. Paul
Architecture, Public Health, Public Policy, Urban Planning
Aging in Place in North St. Paul
Gerontology, Housing Studies, Social Work, Public Policy
ProjectScopesofWork
Createdbyprojectleadsandfaculty
Contactinforma7on/logis7cs
Projectinforma7on(background,descrip7on,goals/
objec7ves,data+informa7onneeds,7meline)
Par7cipantresponsibili7es
Projectbudget
Signatures
Contract
‘SamePage’document
City+universityresponsibili7es
Fixed-sumornot-to-exceedamount/paymentstructure
Structuredon‘projectscopesofwork’
ThisprojectwassupportedbytheResilientCommunitiesProject(RCP),aprogramattheUniversity
convenesthewide-rangingexpertiseofUofMfacultyandstudentstoaddressstrategiclocalproje
communityresilienceandsustainability.RCPisaprogramoftheCenterforUrbanandRegionalAff
InstituteontheEnvironment.
Reportsarethedeliverables
Ownershipofwork
ThisworkislicensedundertheCreativeCommonsAttribution-NonCom
License.Toviewacopyofthislicense,visithttp://creativecommons.org
sendalettertoCreativeCommons,444CastroStreet,Suite900,Mount
94041,USA.Anyreproduction,distribution,orderivativeuseofthiswo
mustbeaccompaniedbythefollowingattribution:“ProducedbytheResilientCommunitiesProjec
ofMinnesota,2016.ReproducedunderaCreativeCommonsAttribution-NonCommercial3.0Unpo
Thispublicationmaybeavailableinalternateformatsuponrequest.
ResilientCommunitiesProject
UniversityofMinnesota
330HHHSPA
301—19thAvenueSouth
Minneapolis,Minnesota55455
Phone:(612)625-7501
E-mail:[email protected]
Website:http://www.rcp.umn.edu
ProgramCost
Variesbyprogram
—  Oregon:$300–400k,per-projectcost
—  Minnesota:$60–120k,basefeeplusper-projectcost
—  Iowa:$10–30k,nego7atedannualfee
Costpercoursevs.totalamount
Poten7alexternal(toCity)fundingsources
CostBreakdown
Programstaff(ProgramDirector,ProjectManager,GRAs+)
Travelexpenses
Eventexpenses
Finalreportcosts(studentwriters,prin7ng)
Courseenhancement(Oregon=$1,000/course)
UniversityF&A
Con7ngency
Poten7alFundingSources
Generalfund/departmentbudgets
Redevelopmentagencies
Housingauthori7es
Parkdistricts
Schooldistricts
Watersheddistricts
U7litydistricts
Transitdistricts
Neighboringci7es
Countygovernment
Regionalgovernment
Stateagencies
Federalagencies
Neighborhoodorganiza7ons/HOAs
Businesses/businessassocia7ons
Chambersofcommerce
Privatepartners/developers
Philanthropicorganiza7ons
Highereduca7onins7tu7ons
Nonprofitorganiza7ons
University(forstart-upsupport)
Poten7alChallenges
Star7ng(findingthefirstpartnercity)
Gekngpasts7ckershockoftotalprogramcost
Managingexpecta7ons
Privatesectorreac7on(‘stealingourwork’)
Professionalism/qualitycontrol(withcertainclasses)
Municipalvs.academiccultures+schedules
Skep7cism/resistancetocross-disciplinaryini7a7ves
NotChallenges
(thatwethoughtmightbe...)
Facultybuy-in(volunteering7me)
Studentbuy-in(workingonreal-worldprojects)
Communitybuy-in(7me,cost)
Cross-disciplinaryinterest(fromfaculty+students)
Crea7ngvalue-added(onlylowhangingfruit)
WhytheModelWorks
Projectsarepartofcitywork-plan
Grassrootsmatchmaking(citystaff+faculty)
Par7cipa7onisopt-in
Mul7plestudents/teamsineachclass
Frequentcommunica7on(coursevisit,sitevisits,regularcheckin)
Engagementwithlocalresidents,businesses,organiza7ons
(createsbuy-in)
Everyonehas‘skininthegame’(financial,poli7cal,agrade)
WhatDoCommunityPartnersSay?
“Ihavebeensopleasedwiththisen7reprocess...Thankyouforthewaythatyoueffec7vely
matchusupwiththerightclasses.Itisaworkofart!”
—LorraineBrady,ITProjectManager,CarverCounty
“Iknewweweregoingtoreceivealotofinputonvariousprojects,butwhatwereceived
ul7matelywasveryhighquality,anditwasgreatinforma7onforusasaCityCounciltolookat,
plan,andfigureouthowtou7lizetheinforma7ongoingforwardinaposi7vewayfortheci7zens
inourcommunity.”
—RosemountMayorWilliamDroste
“[RCP]issobeneficialtobothci7esandthestudentsbyallowingallpar7estolearntogether
throughthestudents'inves7ga7vework....Thankyouforyourassistance!”
—ChaskaCityCouncilPaulaGeisler
“[T]hewordgotoutinMinnetonkathatweweredoingthis,andalotofourresidentsstartedto
askques7onsaboutwhatweweredoingandwhatissueswewereconsidering,andwere
impressedthatwewerepartneringwiththeUniversitytodotheseprojects...Iwouldn’t
underes7matethegoodwillandthegoodPRthatcomesfrompar7cipa7ngintheRCPprogram.”
—JulieWischnack,CommunityDevelopmentDirector,Minnetonka
“Notonlydidwegetfantas7cwork,butIthinkitsreallyreinvigoratedcitystafftobearoundstudentsand
facultywhohavedifferentwaysofthinkinganddifferentwaysofapproachinganidea.Ithasbeenan
absolutelywonderfulexperience.”
—SusanThomas,PrincipalPlanner,Minnetonka
FlexibilityoftheModel
Scalable—notaone-size-fits-allapproach
Adaptabletoalltypesofcolleges/universi7es
Somedevia7onfrom12tenetsisOK:
§  Newcourses,independentstudentprojects
§  Onecityvs.mul7pleci7es
§  Mul7yearpartnerships
§  Fundingmodel
LessonsLearnedI
Juststart(thengrow)
Manageexpecta7ons
Nodeathbyover-inclusion
Goodideasmustcomewithbodies
Alwaysfocusonvalue-added(tocity,professors,students)
Professionalismiscri7cal
LessonsLearnedII
Championsandinternalcatalystsarecri7cal
Beaggressivelycollabora7ve(poundthepavement,
rela7onshipsmamer)
Constantlygivecreditandelevateothers
Smallsuccessesallthe7me
Press/awardsmakeeveryonehappy(alwaysbedelivering
goodnews)
Ques7ons?
Photos©SteveSchneider,MikeGreco,andCarissaSlomerback.Allrightsreserved.