ENGAGING GENERATION Z:
INTEGRATING GLOBAL AND LOCAL VISION,
STRUCTURE, AND INNOVATION

UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS PRESENTERS
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 Camille George, AVP, Global & Local Engagement and
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
 Elise Amel, Director, Office of Sustainability Initiatives
and Professor, Psychology
 Sarah E. Spencer, Director, Office of Study Abroad

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This is GEN Z http://www.ologie.com/gen-z/#

GENERATION Z OVERVIEW
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Identity
Technology
Family Life
Social Issues
Careers
Education
Privacy & Safety
Global +
Innovative

OVERVIEW OF GLOBAL & LOCAL ENGAGEMENTS
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Purposeful Interactions

KEY ELEMENTS OF OUR APPROACH
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VISION
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Responding to the needs of the 21st century: Students need to demonstrate
intercultural agility, curiosity and empathy to navigate the complexities of
the contemporary world.
Our vision is to promote a wide-range of experiential learning experiences
to all stakeholders.
GALE Vision:
The Center for Global and Local Engagement at the University of St. Thomas facilitates
learning programs that promote intercultural agility and ethical community engagement.
The Center gives all students, faculty, staff, and alumni the opportunity to advance the
common good through study away experiences and transformational community
partnerships that address social, environmental, and economic issues important for our
region and world.

MISSION
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GALE Mission
The Center for Global and Local Engagement provides a University-wide structure to
support ethical and sustainable partnerships, programs, and policies that enable the
University to advance the common good through traditional and innovative approaches
to study abroad and community engagement.
 Responding to our Strategic Plan- St. Thomas 2020: Living our Mission, Expanding Our
Horizon
 From a global perspective, coordination with study abroad experiences
 From a local perspective, emphasize the ‘glocal’ and the need to introduce intercultural
learning in our diverse metropolis

STRUCTURE
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Structure: Faculty & staff for programmatic efforts: Study Abroad,
Community Engagement, Sustainability Initiatives, Social Impact.
Directors are both staff and faculty
Directors meet once a month
Shared resources: Centralized administration (event planning,
calendar coordination), assessment and budget support.

AGREEMENTS & ASSESSMENT
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Two areas of expertise that are often overlooked
Develop a more coordinated approach to agreements
with external partner organizations
Develop consistent policies
Develop an assessment strategy to refine our
programs

OFFICES WORKING TOGETHER
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Office of Sustainability Initiatives
Office of Community Engagement
Office of Study Abroad
Social Innovation ‘Collaboratory’

SUSTAINABILITY
energy
water urban wetlandsurban agriculture
waste transportation
community
climate

OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES

GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY
Evolution
Interdisciplinarity
Value
Opportunities

CASE: PSYCHOLOGY OF SUSTAINABILITY ABROAD
•Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, Freiburg, Köln, Lüneburg,
Magdeburg, Göhrde
•Explore how behavior affects the environment and how the
environment affects behavior
•Understand social, cognitive and developmental aspects of real
social problems
•Upper-level credit toward majors/minors in Psychology,
Environmental Studies & Environmental Science

LOCAL SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainable
Communities
Partnership
Collaborates with cities to link city-
identified, high-priority,
sustainability projects with St.
Thomas courses

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES PARTNERSHIP

SCOPE?
Individual
project
Unit
Group
project
Course
theme

STUDENT WORK
Needs assessment
best practices
precedents
Data collection
& analysis
Designs, models,
prototypes, maps,
plans, programs
Cost/benefit
analysis
Communication,
outreach, education
Policy
recommendations

OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (OCE)
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OCE Mission
Inspired by Catholic Social Teaching, the Office of
Community Engagement accompanies global and local
partner organizations by supporting the design,
implementation, and evaluation of courses that use
collaborative strategies of engagement to advance the
common good.
ENGAGE, EXAMINE, EMPOWER

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
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Analyzed past Service
Learning Courses in light of the
world’s most pressing needs
Identified theme based
initiatives
Guiding Principles
Best Practices

OCE - GUIDING PRINCIPLES
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Do no harm & maximize the common good
Recognize the Scholarship of Engagement (community partners are co-
educators)
Critical Service-Learning (attends to dynamics of privilege and power)
Radically Inclusive (inspired by Catholic Social Teaching where diverse
worldviews and faith traditions are respected)
Collaborative Strategies of Engagement (wide framework from charity to
justice)
Project-based Approach (partner organizations define deliverables)
All staff are educators to extend learning and serve the mission of
education

OCE BEST PRACTICES
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Adopted six best practices
Reciprocity (partner articulates a real need)
Student Orientation (every student trained for engagement across lines
of difference)
Quality Reflection (the experience is not graded; student learning is
evaluated)
Common Good (work promoting the net social & environmental
conditions necessary for human thriving)
Student Evaluation (connection between academic content and
experiences)
Program Assessment/Community Voice (partner’s voice in assessing
success)

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OFFICE OF STUDY ABROAD
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Stabilization
Assessment & Finance
Commonalities
Community engagement – global or local
Intercultural learning/agility
Program management
Short-term – course-based, faculty-directed
Language of experiential learning

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EXTRA THOUGHTS
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QUESTIONS?
DISCUSSION
How are your
current students
engaging with
complex,
contemporary
local and global
communities?
http://www.ologie.com/gen-z/#

THANK
YOU