SPAA Course Looks to Help with "Building Bridges to the Community"

SPAA Assistant Professor of Professional Practice Diane Hill's Spring 2024 undergraduate course, "Building Bridges to the Community,” gave students the opportunity to explore effective strategies for building sustainable, impactful partnerships with community-based organizations.

Over the semester, students examined community engagement concepts, various techniques for supporting local community partners, and the roles of entities, such as universities, in assisting to build strong-healthy communities. Participants were introduced to the Transdisciplinary Intergenerational Community Engagement Model (TICEM), which has been used successfully with a broad array of audiences. They were also given the opportunity to pursue the citizen service certificate, "Leadership and No-Blame Problem Solving."

At the conclusion of the course, students presented their final projects which focused on building community partnerships and experiential learning with community partners. Students were assigned to a community partner organization and collaborated with them to identify and address an issue relevant to their constituents.

Student projects included:

• “Enhancing Community Engagement Efforts: Proposal for a Spanish Committee at the NJCAHT” by Karina Avila
• “Food Insecurity for Children in Newark” by Isaiah Jordan and Myles Key
• “Poor Quality Affordable Housing Units” by Bryan Atahualpa, Fajr Kegler, and Gary Maimon
• “Programs for Parents: Community Needs Assessment” by Rafeya Rahman, Jacinay Coleman-Shelton, Chelsea Rosero, and Kerly Zeas Rueda

Students offered their thoughts on the course:

Rafeya Rahman, Class of 2024
"Building Bridges to the Community taught me how to methodically approach working with external and internal organizations. By putting these skills into practice with my fellow classmates and working with organizations around Newark, I feel better equipped to set out as a future public administrator in actively seeking out partnerships to serve others. As someone who seeks a career in helping others through service, learning the best approaches and understanding what collaborators might seek in a partnership helped me prepare for future opportunities."

Karina Avila, Class of 2024
"I could not help but think back to your class and reflect on how your course has influenced my desire to pursue a career in community engagement. As I transition from the academic setting to the workforce and lean away from the legal sector, I'm actively seeking opportunities to utilize the skills I gained in your class, particularly how to build sustainable community outreach with the community."

Zacharriyah Uddin, TA & SPAA MPA Student
"Dr. Hill's Special Topics class, Building Bridges to the Community, has been immensely beneficial to me, providing impactful knowledge in a short time. The class exposed me to the importance of effective community partnerships, focusing on community benefits and their relation to public service. It introduced me to a new aspect of being a public servant and caught my interest in citizen-focused government partnerships, which allow for greater public involvement and influence in government. In the spring of 2024, I had the opportunity to be a Teaching Assistant for this class. Facilitating the course provided me with practical experience, helping students with their projects and witnessing the effectiveness of teaching the importance of citizen-based partnerships."

Epiphany Munz, TA & SPAA MPA student
"As a student, it is important to blend theory and experiential learning, and this course gives undergraduate students the chance to utilize their skills beyond the classroom that is impactful in understanding the work we do." 

In addition to being a faculty member at Rutgers SPAA, Dr. Diane Hill is head of the Office of University-Community Partnerships where she fosters strategic collaborations connecting students, faculty, and staff with communities. She also contributes to the Rutgers Institute for Global Health.