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Partnership Subcommittee

Purpose: To explore the issues of:

  1. Creating an inventory of existing international connections throughout the college;
  2. Creating a framework by which to engage Sister College and/or international partnerships and to assess how these partnerships might further the strategic priorities of the college in Alignment, Growth and Equity;
  3. Developing a plan to seek out and establish an international partner and/or Sister College partnership on every continent phased in over a number of years;
  4. Creating criteria for deciding whether to pursue particular potential partnerships, and how to fund them; and
  5. Assessing opportunities that exist in the local and state environment to enhance the college’s international connections.

Members and Invited Guests: Sharon Hawkins, Professor – Nursing, Meredith Hook, eLearning, Jennifer Maynard, Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, Regional Development, Derek Petrey, Center for Teaching and Learning, Deborah Gavlik, International Education, Carol Price, Nursing, Danette Richards, Biology, Chuck Sowerbrower, Emergency Medical Services

Past Meeting Dates and Topics:

Partnership Subcommittee past meeting dates based on topics
Date Topics
January 17, 2020 Organizational meeting; overview of issues and topics
February 14, 2020 Inventory of international organizations with which Sinclair partners and categories for existing relationships
February 24, 2020 Benchmarking exploration; establish category types and desired partnerships

 

Past Meeting Dates and Topics:

Partnership Subcommittee upcoming meeting dates based on more topics
Date Topics
TBD Define desired characteristics for each type of partnership
TBD SWOT analysis for each type of partnership
TBD Set targets for each relationship type/category; incorporate all input within a consolidated document

 

Findings/Observations to Date:

  • Sinclair has enjoyed a robust Sister College relationship with The North Highland College in Scotland, which serves the region in which David A. Sinclair was born.
  • The Sinclair/North Highland partnerships has fostered many student and faculty visits and learnings. The two seemingly different parts of the world share in common challenges with changing demographics, changing economics and increasing advancements in technology.
  • Sinclair has recently re-engaged a Sister College relationship with The Bedford College Group in England. This relationship was started over twenty years ago with a previous college based in Kettering, which is now part of The Bedford College Group.
  • Besides the two Sister College relationships, Sinclair has connections with over 20 additional international colleges and universities, organizations and entities. The relationships include entities that:
    • Provide study abroad opportunities for Sinclair students (Institute for Study Abroad (Ireland), Ningbo Polytechnic (China), Zealand Institute (Denmark), Robert Gordon University (Scotland), Borderlinks (U.S.-Mexico border), Transformational Journeys (Guatemala), and the French Embassy
    • Offer international professional development for faculty and staff (Zealand Institute (Denmark), Midwest Institute for International and Intercultural Education, Community Colleges for International Development (CCID), Lilly Conference on Teaching, AACC, Fulbright, League for Innovation, Yamaguchi Prefecture University (Japan), Humber College (Canada), and Durban University of Technology (South Africa).
    • Promote community international friendships and understandings (Dayton Peace Museum, Dayton Council on World Affairs, Welcome Dayton, Friendship Force, World A’Fair)
    • Promote economic and business development (Foreign Trade Zone, County Economic Development Office, Regional Economic Development, FESTO, UAS Program, other work-based learning).
  • Try to connect partnership work with the Dayton Council on World Affair’s new report entitled “The Global Report: Dayton Region Country Profiles, Global Connections in the Dayton, Ohio Region.
  • Establish a list of values to guide the work of the Partnerships framework to ensure quality and sustainability.

Data/Information Needed:

  • Data from other colleges. Need to benchmark and see what other colleges are doing in the area of partnerships. Look at both good and not-so- good examples of partnerships.
  • Develop a matrix by which to vet potential partners.

Preliminary Recommendations:

  • Define and develop categories for international partners and describe each type of relationship.
  • Establish goals for engagement with international partners.
  • Develop targets for each type/category of relationship and how partnership plans might be phased in.
  • Determine the kinds of activities and expenses that would be expected for each partnership; determine how the activities will be resourced.