Appreciative collaborative partnerships: A novel approach to community college-university partnerships

Abstract

In the spring of 2019, faculty and administrators of several community colleges were invited to the campus of the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) for a meeting on Partnerships at their Best. Some attendees shared with the organizers that they were unsure as to why they were there; they assumed it was to discuss new articulation agreements and have lunch. This sentiment exemplified the type of relationship leaders of community colleges expect between them and a university. However, the organizers had another vision of how relationships could be between community colleges and universities. Prior to the meeting, the groundwork had been laid to create appreciative collaborative partnerships (ACP) between UNCW and community colleges throughout the State of North Carolina. An ACP is a shift away from more widely seen approaches to universitycommunity college partnerships that often include the university proffering its status, resources, and academic knowledge to the community colleges as a way to bolster the university’s reputation and community involvement. Although the community college may benefit from these relationships, it is not balanced, nor does it necessarily address the needs of the community college. At the aforementioned meeting, the community college leaders were asked something not often asked of them by the faculty and staff at a university: “What are your needs, and how can we partner with you to address those needs?”