Social Embeddedness

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Social Embeddedness

• Engaging with the community

Presenter Name, Ph.D. Presenter Title, Arizona
State University    Last updated 08-21-07
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By the end of class today, you will be able to

• Understand that ASU has a history of partnership
  with the community
• Define social embeddedness
• List some indicators of social embeddedness
• Identify opportunities for you to be socially
  embedded

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A history of partnership

• ASU was initially formed as a teachers college,
  with the purpose of training public school
  teachers, and providing instruction in
  agriculture and the mechanical arts.

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The Legislature passed the bill

• The Territorial Normal School was established in
  Tempe in 1885 by an act of the Thirteenth
  Territorial Legislature

Scanned image of original first page of Act
establishing Arizona Territorial Normal School,
courtesy of Arizona State Archives
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The citizens provided the land

• George and Martha Wilson donated their 20 acre
  pasture in exchange for 500
• The money for 5 acres was raised by townsfolk and
  the Wilsons donated the rest of the land

The first building on the campus of the Arizona
Territorial Normal School was a red clay (from
Tempe Butte) brick building with four rooms.
Horses and parking were the same fee fifty cents
per month or five dollars for the year.
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The school provided teachers
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We became ASU

• Expansion of degree programs sparked new interest
  from the community, but supporters of the
  University of Arizona stonewalled many
  legislative proposals for renaming
• After a "name change" drive, Arizona State
  University was authorized by a direct vote of
  Arizona citizens for Proposition 200 in the
  November 1958 elections

Vote 200 Yes pin and an editorial cartoon
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Interconnected by growth

• Arizonas population has rapidly increased from
  4.2 million in 1995 to 6.2 million today
• At ASU, there were 46,000 students in 1995 and
  today there are more than 60,000

ASU total student enrollment, Fall 1996 Fall
2006
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Facing challenges
and opportunities

• Sustainability
• Global engagement
• Education
• Quality of life

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Discussion

• Where does ASU start and where does the community
  end?
• What do you think about how the university and
  the community work together?
• What do you see as your place in this partnership?

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Definition

• Social embeddedness describes dynamic,
  mutually-beneficial partnerships between the
  university and communities

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Representing children
Example

• Every year, hundreds of children come to Arizona
  to escape gang recruitment, sexual exploitation,
  indentured servitude, or domestic violence in
  their home countries
• However, legal resources are limited, so ASU Law
  students are developing cases for and
  representing these children
• Children receive representation and ASU students
  gain a better perspective of the legal system by
  talking to clients, writing actual briefs, and
  knowing all the facts about a case

ASU Law students Sebastian Zavala (left) and
Gabriel Gomez-Leyba (right), discuss one of the
cases with the help of an enormous file they have
built for their client.
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Promoting alternative energy
Example

• It is dangerous to let flammable dry wood grow
  unchecked, however, it is a strain on the Forest
  Service to manage this overgrowth.
• Wood chips can be used as biomass, a cheap,
  effective energy source.
• Roy Miller is working with the Forest Service,
  faculty from ASU and NAU and Payson officials to
  install a biomass heating system. He gets to
  learn about alternative energy systems, the
  Forest Service gets to protect the forest, and
  Payson gets a cheap, clean-burning,
  community-based energy source.

ASU Political Science major Roy Miller has been
facilitating communication between the Forest
Service and Northern Gila County to install a
biomass heating system in a Payson hospital or
school.
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Bringing science to life
Example

• Many schools are struggling to enrich their
  science curriculum
• ASU graduate students looking for community
  outreach opportunities partnered with the Phoenix
  Preparatory Academy to teach junior high students
  how to conduct field experiments at Rio Salado
  and the Phoenix Zoo
• Phoenix students develop science skills and ASU
  students get to foster scientific inquiry and
  communicate the findings of their research to the
  general public

Life Sciences graduate students and Phoenix
Preparatory students study how wild cats at the
Phoenix Zoo react to different scents.
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Giving children a voice
Example

• Kids dont feel listened to
• Professor Woodson (Theatre) works with kids to
  create digital stories, in order to give them a
  voice and create a stronger connection with the
  adults who work with them
• Professor Woodson gets to conceptualize these
  stories, turning language into art, and kids are
  better understood by the adults in their community

Professor Woodson has worked with foster children
to create digital stories for their case files.
She has also worked with Gila River teens to
create a documentary video, illustrating the
teens pride in their culture.
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Solving problems at work
Example

• Professor Tracy (Communications) goes into real
  world organizational settings, like 911 call
  centers and correctional facilities, and focuses
  on difficulties these organizations are having
• By being constantly reminded of how her work will
  have relevance, she becomes a better researcher
  and organizations such as 911 call centers get
  specific suggestions about how to improve their
  work environment, their work and their
  interaction with callers. Correctional
  facilities received burnout training. (Did you
  know that the average life expectancy of a
  correctional officer is 59 years?)

Professor Tracy is now focusing on workplace
bullying. Undergraduate drama students
collaborated on performance that helped to
educate the general public about problems caused
by bullying in the workplace.
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Applying sustainable design
Example

• Sustainable design can increase affordability for
  homeowners. Energy-saving construction materials
  can save 80 in home energy costs.
• Cultural awareness in design can make
  homeownership more comfortable.
• The ASU Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and
  the Family gets to design homes and work with
  communities, communities get to be part of the
  design process and can ensure that they will
  actually be able to maintain the home over time,
  and students and community members get
  collaborative construction experience.

Two ASU students lift a Navajo FlexCrete block
into place. This energy-saving concrete will
provide the house with more affordable
insulation.
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Discussion

• What is the difference between doing for or to
  the community versus doing with the community
  or being of the community?
• What does it mean for a partnership to be
  mutually-beneficial?
• Is social embeddedness the same as community
  service?

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Indicators

• Something is socially embedded when
• All partners benefit
• There is recognition that all partners bring
  something to the table
• All partners have input in the work
• A community need is met
• It isnt just an activity, but there is an
  outcome-focus to the work

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Discussion

• What are the indicators of social embeddedness in
  the examples given and/or in the readings?
• What other indicators for social embeddedness can
  you think of?
• How is social embeddedness different from
  community service?

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Why work with communities?

• You can help solve problems facing communities
• You can support economic growth
• You can enhance the well-being of Arizona
  communities
• You can work closely with public and private
  institutions like schools, cities, businesses,
  community organizations, etc.

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How will you benefit?

• By applying your knowledge
• By learning and discovering new things
• By making contacts and building a network
• By contributing to the well-being of your
  community

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How do communities benefit?

• From students energy and ideas
• From working with faculty experts on addressing
  challenges and solving problems
• From applying the newest research to make
  positive changes in the community
• From taking full advantage of the universitys
  resources

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What can you do?

• Talk with your academic advisor about community
  engagement opportunities that connect with your
  interests
• Consider applying for an ASU for Arizona
  internship to work with communities,
  http//www.asu.edu/vppa/asuforaz/intern.html
• Consider applying for the Entrepreneur Advantage
  Project and/or the Edson Student Entrepreneur
  Initiative to get funding for your own social
  entrepreneurship ideas, http//studentventures.asu
  .edu/
• Subscribe to the Community Camera and look for
  opportunities through the feature stories and
  announcements, http//community.uui.asu.edu/signup
  .asp

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You can also

• Take a service learning course where you can get
  academic credit for connecting your education to
  community service, http//uc.asu.edu/servicelearni
  ng/index.php
• Find out more about ASU community connections,
  http//www.asu.edu/community
• Volunteer for a community organization through
  ASU, http//community.uui.asu.edu/volunteer.asp
• Join a club at ASU, http//www.asu.edu/studentaffa
  irs/mu/clubs/