CUE: South Madison – Building Infrastructure for Meaningful Partnerships

Course Title: Inter-HE 501(4): Community-University Exchange: South Madison
Semester: Spring 2011
Instructors/CUE Affiliates: Cynthia Jasper, Beth TryonMargaret Nellis, Ariel Kaufman
Community Partner: South Madison Metropolitan Council Planning, Park Street Partners, South Madison Farmer’s Market, and Boys and Girls Club.

Abstract: This pilot year project was a two-stage process. In the fall 2010, a series of meetings with community partners were held to design a plan for how CUE should be developed so that it could link academic with community-identified priorities. By the end of fall, all parties agreed that the plan should be tested.  A community-based research course was designed to act as a centerpiece for coordinating the activities related to these priorities and providing experience to students in the CUE process. The class, offered in Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at School of Human Ecology, worked with South Metropolitan Planning Council on media bias research and along with the contributions of other partner courses, was then assessed to determine whether the model increased efficiency and impact. This Inter-HE course has been institutionalized as a requirement for majors in Community Nonprofit Leadership, School of Human Ecology.

Student Learning Goals: 

  • To develop-in-action a science shop model that is built around the particular community and academic resources in Madison.
  • To gain valuable research experience while providing community organizations with findings from collaboratively generated research questions.
  • To work with the South Madison community and UW faculty and staff to define specific research questions, develop a research plan, collect and analyze the data, and return the findings to the community, based on Community Identified Priorities (CIP) that have been created with the input of community members and leaders.

Deliverable Product or Service: research findings based on Community Identified Priorities (CIP)

CUE Project Area: South Madison

Grant involved: Evjue Foundation, Morgridge Match

Document(s):

South Metropolitan Planning Council

South Metropolitan Planning Council (SMPC) is a coalition of neighborhood and business groups that work together to increase the civic capacity on Madison’s Southside.  SMPC does important work in promoting a greater sense of community and collaboration on the south side.

Our service area includes 13 south Madison neighborhoods in the area south of Regent Street, extending southward to areas along the Beltline from Seminole Hwy. to Southtowne.  Please follow this link for a map of our service area, that includes locations of individual neighborhoods.  Please contact SMPC (contact info above) if you’d like to be connected with the neighborhood association in your area.

Contact:

John Quinlan, Executive Director
2300 S. Park St., Suite 107
Madison, WI 53713
Phone: 608-819-8549
Email: smpc[at]southmadison.org
Website: http://southmadison.org/

Partnership with UW-Madison:

CUE Affiliates: Beth TryonMargaret Nellis, Ariel Kaufman