BUILDING EFFECTIVE FACULTY-COMMUNITY PARTNER TEAMS

Dr. Brian Davenport, Director, Office of Community Engagement, Eastern Washington University

Dr. Brian Davenport summarized the essential elements of forming and sustaining effective academic-community research partnerships.  He emphasized the importance of establishing trusting relationships as a foundation for effective faculty-community partner teams.   Dr. Davenport presented a Design Clinic format for team interaction and then applied it in the table conversations.  The Design Clinic format uses a structured process for a group to address a "sticky problem" in an engaging and productive conversation.   A post-event survey indicated that this program and the table conversations were very well-received.