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A ROUTE TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE Patricia Ivry and Fred Tesch Department of Social Work Management Department Western Connecticut State University Mission "The Executive Forum (EF) of Western Connecticut State University is a partnership between the University and the private non-profit human service sector. The mission of the Forum, with the University serving as a conduit, is to identify and make accessible expertise, resources, supports, and other mechanisms for capacity building in the non-profit sector." While this mission is not especially distinctive, our Executive Forum has distinctive features. This afternoon we would like to tell you our story. We would appreciate your comments and reactions to help us better define our future. Let us start with a brief history. History The Department of Social Work has many and diverse field practicum agencies that help to train our students at three different levels: the required field observation in Introduction to Social Work, the Junior Field Practicum and the Senior Field Practicum. The Department has the unique opportunity to work with hundreds of human and social service agencies. Over the years, it became obvious that not all executive directors (ED's) have adequate management skills. In fact, patterns began to emerge showing that many executive directors were good social workers who got promoted and/or were "political appointees," that is, persons selected because they knew the right people or married well. Most of these people, regardless of their routes to leadership, were highly educated and very bright. Their frustration and roadblock was their lack of formal training in managing organizations. They were forced to learn such skills on the job, usually without any guidance or mentoring. Consequently, a concerned faculty member in the Department of Social Work, located in the School of Professional Studies, approached her colleagues in the Management Department in the School of Business and asked if they had interest or competence on non-profit management. Together, these two departments brainstormed. Predictably, as academics, we envisioned a degree program for executive directors of non-profit agencies. To test out our wonderful concept, we invited 30 ED's to a focus group. Lo and behold, they said, "Yes, we need and want help with our management skills. But we have enough degrees. We do not want another degree program. We want you to help us in ways we suggest to you as we need the help." To both the social work and management faculty this sounded like empowering the client system. So, flexible as we are, we agreed. Thus the EF was begun, ten years ago. Our vision, as we now saw it, was to help these organizations manage themselves more effectively and to promote cooperation and support among them, to be a crucial catalyst in their development. Since that time, colleagues in the two Departments, Management and Social Work, have helped to fulfill the University's mission by "serving as a creative intellectual resource to Citizens and institutions in the State." We have responded to the needs of the non-profit sector and have identified areas of common concern and interest. We have worked with over 200 agencies, including advocacy groups, human and social service organizations, and arts and environmental organizations. We have been recognized by outside organizations as a conduit for accessing this sector and have helped to create a profile for the non-profit sector in the region. Structure The EF is housed in the Department of Social Work in the School of Professional Studies. The Director is a social work faculty member who receives the equivalent of one course teaching load reduction (i.e., reassigned time) to direct the EF. The Assistant Director is a professor from the Management Department. The EF's by-laws call for these two positions to be filled by University faculty. There is an executive committee consisting of the Director and Assistant Director and four (4) ED's . This Executive Committee meets monthly, communicates regularly via email, and sets the EF's agenda. There is an Executive Advisory Council consisting of 16 people. This council is fairly evenly divided between University and community based representatives. The Council meets at least 3 times per year. Their function is to review the Executive Committee's actions and to advise and guide the Executive Committee on the needs of the agencies and communities being served. In effect, the consumers of the Forum's work are represented on its "board". This link is vital to defining operationally our concepts of social and economic justice for our region. Organizations that join the EF as members enjoy a range of access and services. Other organizations choose not be members but may still enjoy some of the Forum's activities and services. Member organizations are entitled to free or reduced rates for their employees at any EF programs. Information about opportunities and issues affecting our region is also sent or e-mailed to them. A range of organizations have provided funding for the Executive Forum: the local community foundation, the Fairfield County Community Foundation, the local United Way, the United Way of Northern Fairfield County and the University Foundation of Western Connecticut State University. Activities The EF organizes its activities into five (5) key roles: " Educator: Through workshops, presentations, think tanks and discussion groups on specific topics the EF has provided opportunities for ED's to develop managing skills, to explore ideas, to begin to think out of the box, and to learn from experts in the field. Examples of topics are succession planning, marketing, and fund-raising. One of the best received activities was a two and a half day Leadership Institute for 18 EDs. A second Leadership Institute was held in 2005. " Convener: By convening ad hoc groups around specific topics or by creating specific groupings, the EF has drawn attention to important issues that cut across private, public, and governmental domains (e.g. affordable housing). The EF has been a catalyst for significant community action. " Networker/Broker: The EF enables ED's to meet both formally and informally and to exchange experiences, concerns, and suggestions. In this sense, the EF is a safe harbor for badgered EDs looking for respite. The EF also connects disparate parties with common interests. Our best effort here has been a series of "Dialogs with Funders" that generated a common application form and process for all. " Advocate: The EF sponsors meetings with elected officials at the local, regional, and state levels. We've identified and advocated for issues affecting the non-profit sector (e.g., depressed salaries of ED's). " Academician- The EF also has an academic component, as shown by our participation in this conference. The Forum is developing course offerings on Non-Profit Management. The Director taught such a course this past summer for undergraduates. We are now exploring the possibility graduate courses, possibly offered in conjunction with the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) programs. Interest has emerged for a graduate certificate program in the near future. And we are considering future paper presentations based on research by faculty in both Social Work and Management. Strengths and Challenges As we've pursued our vision and mission, several features of the Forum have emerged. Some are distinctive, we believe. Some are strengths. Some are challenges. The strengths of the EF are: " Neutrality. We do not fund or evaluate any programs. No executive director need fear the Forum. We provide a safe harbor. We desire that our EDs can trust us, can show us their vulnerabilities, and are comfortable asking for our assistance in their efforts to help themselves. " University Base. The expertise of the faculty in the University's many departments adds to the credibility of the Forum with the non-profit sector as well as the funders. " Resources. The University base also provides us with in-kind resources such as meeting rooms, workshop facilities, conference rooms, and other spaces, media services, office equipment, food service, parking, and so forth. " Interdisciplinary Approach. We believe we are the only University based non-profit capacity-building initiative that is shared between a business school and a school of social work. This provides us with one sound footing in current management theory and practice and a second one in current social services. " Community Collaboration. From the onset, the Forum has been a true collaboration with our community's organizations. They have set the agenda. With our help they have articulated their needs. Jointly we defined our future. " Single Focus. The Forum works exclusively with ED's. We do not diffuse our efforts by trying to serve multiple masters. Nor are we duplicating the work of other organizations in the community. " Accessibility. The Forum's programs are held locally, usually on campus. They are usually free, but if not, they are inexpensive. We do face some challenges. Hopefully they will motivate our growth and development. " Interdisciplinary Approach. While this is a distinctive feature, it may also be an Achilles' heel. Our two departments, or at least the present representatives, work together very effectively. But are we person dependent? Further, the University has few systems in place to accommodate interdisciplinary initiatives and programs. A collective bargaining agreement constrains faculty, curriculum, and resources. " Balance of Power. Our Forum is not the only capacity building initiative in the community or the state. We must find ways to work collaboratively with them with maintaining our role and our niche. Obviously this creates a need to balance power in these relationships. " Funding. The constant effort we spend on finding ongoing funding for our core budget for the Forum and for our specific programs leaves us precious little time and energy for maintaining our professional currency, for doing our strategic planning for our future, or for pursuing our ultimate values of social and economic justice in our region. Emerging Themes The Forum's work has empowered our non-profit sector. We struggle with defining the relevant dimensions of social and economic justice in our region. We know intuitively that we are moving toward greater social and economic justice. But how can we qualitatively and quantitatively demonstrate our strides? The Forum's efforts have contributed to enhanced delivery of services, greater collaboration among non-profit agencies, a better defined profile of the non-profit sector in the community, a stronger relationship between the community and the University, and a voice for the non-profit sector. We would appreciate your reactions, comments, and suggestions. Can you share with us organizations or programs we might examine for clues to our improvement? Thank you for your interest in our project. *Based on a paper delivered at 21st Annual Baccalaureate Social Work Education Conference, Reno, Nevada, October 30, 2003. |
2005 - Published by Gremi0 Computing |