Building Bridges & Breaking Barriers
Adrienne Theune | First Year
Background
The University of Wisconsin - Madison is
driven to be of service to its community.
This is highly steered by the philosophy of
the Wisconsin Idea. This has evolved over
the years, but the core reflects the desire
of education not being bound to the
classroom and use of it to impact the
community as a whole. Research and
other innovations developed at the
university should be used to resolve
issues and boost quality of life for all.
My role as an AmeriCorps member is to
build capacity for an enhanced liaison and
partnership support model. This work
includes implementing processes to
identify partner priorities and working to
create effective systems to match partner
needs with university resources.
Center for UW South
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Community & Madison
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Partnership
Studies
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University Collaborators
University of
Wisconsin - Madison
Community Partnerships: Pilot Program
This group consists of 5 organizations. It is a mix of organizations that have
either established and/or budding relationships with the university.
▢ Chrysalis: Promotes mental health and substance use recovery.
▢ The Gathering Source: Cares for hunger, education, and wellness in its rural
communities.
▢ Menikanaehkem: Rebuilds and connects community to traditional roots and
practices. This organization is within the Menominee Nation.
▢ EOTO: Provides mental health and substance use wellness support
▢ The Literacy Network: Teaches reading, writing, communication and
computer skills to adults.
Capacity Building & Sustainability
▢ Resource Database & Mapping - Collecting and gathering information such
as services and opportunities provided by the university.
▢ Identifying community members and orgs priorities and desired support
from the university: research, student support, event and communication, etc.
▢ Streamline & Standardize Processes:
◼ Intake Process: Outlines steps for community & campus members
regarding requests. Establishes a flow of communication between depts.
◼ Salesforce: The use of this customer relationship management tool
paints a bigger picture of the impact and connections people & departments
have with the community. It also houses the documentation of communication
and project efforts.
◼Community Guidelines: Not only does this allow campus departments
to have a collective understanding best practices, but it also outlines
accountability structures.
Challenges
▢ Fighting bureaucracy and white supremacy
components of higher education institutions.
▢ Siloed departments and navigating a large
institution.
▢ Gatekeeping structures & ambiguity: Who
has access to resources and services? What
types of language is being used (is it clear or in
plain language)? What are the procedures and
protocols in place to work with community
partners?
▢ Covid-19: Limit (possible) full potential of
community building and relationships.
Lessons Learned & Future Work
▢ Collaboration is key even if it takes more time
and effort.
▢ Intentional Integration: Many staff and
community members are stretched thin and are
balancing their bandwidth.
▢Seek to center more BIPOC community
members and orgs
▢Continue developing assessments to target
areas of growth and partnership opportunities.