Finding an Academic Partnership That Works

Vermont is home to one large university, the University of Vermont (UVM). This university is home to 9,040 undergraduates, 1,351 graduate students, 406 medical students, and 1,292 full-time and part-time faculty. Vermont also hosts a few small private institutions and the Vermont State College System. Interviews with university staff and input from allies in the field indicated that the project would not be a good fit within the academic departments of UVM. Nevertheless, UVM was in the beginning stages of forming a large statewide partnership, called the Anti-Violence Partnership, which could eventually house the VVAA Advisory Group. This partnership was being formed by the head of the UVM Social Work Department, who was also the evaluation consultant for the VS2000 Project. One Advisory Group member representing child protective services was actually a contract employee at the university. Her main contribution became that of making design recommendations.

The 1-day collaborative planning group supported the idea of becoming an accredited program through the Vermont State Colleges Office of External Programs. The successful completion of the accreditation process has allowed some of the smaller private colleges to offer credits to their students who attend the program and has sparked interest in creating courses within their institutions. The accreditation process began in earnest after successful completion of one round of the VVAA. A team of subject-matter experts chosen by the Vermont State Colleges Office of External Programs reviewed lesson plans, presenters' curriculum vitae, text and all supplementary materials, and any formative or terminal assessment tools, including self-tests, activities that measure accountability of students' learning, and the final exam. This was followed by a verbal interview of the planners. The VVAA was awarded three college credits in victimology for a 5-year period, after which the planners must undergo a review. The project was specifically commended for its planning structure, which ensured content relevance because topics were identified by those who work in the field. At the close of the review process, Vermont State Colleges administration communicated interest in having its students access the VVAA and eventually adopted a course of study within its system. The cost of the accreditation process for this institution was $5,000. It takes careful documentation to acquire such accreditation, which should be noted before undertaking that approach.

In a larger state with more and varied options, planners might interview various college and university programs, looking specifically for those who have an interest in working in a collaborative, power-sharing environment on one or all of several fronts: program planning and leadership (including logistical planning), curriculum design, and adult learning delivery skills. Each of these requires different skills, but all require a willingness to participate actively in planning and learning sessions. Emphasizing the project's goal of creating systemic change in the way victim service providers get education and build skills might pique the interest of academic institutions interested in community-action partnerships. Even for smaller states such as Vermont, the challenge is to find the right level of involvement with the appropriate academic partner.