WISCAPE has issued a publication today that may be of interest to S&W readers. The author rethinks the way universities might reorganize themselves in order to solve societal problems and thereby change the way they present themselves to state government and the public. It briefly touches upon how this might apply to the New Badger Partnership as well. A summary and link to the full article follows:
David WeertsAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and DevelopmentUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Faculty Affiliate
WISCAPE
Summary
A prevailing notion among higher education leaders is that public relations and marketing efforts must be intensified to boost legislative support for colleges and universities. However, this view fails to consider whether the academy might increase its standing among legislators and the general public by becoming more productively engaged in state problems. By embracing the principles of public engagement, universities could position themselves as solutions to problems and leverage public and private support for research, teaching, and service in relation to public interests.
Kindly forwarded to S&W by
Nik Hawkins
Assistant Director for Communications
Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education (WISCAPE)
http://www.wiscape.wisc.edu/