The 2nd Annual Community Engagement Retreat for Faculty and Staff

June 23 and 24, 2008 -- The Mountain Institute -- Spruce Knob, WV

For the 2008 Community Engagement Retreat, the Mountain Institute served again as the site for the strategic planning of West Virginia Wesleyan College's community engagement initiatives. In attendance, 23 Wesleyan faculty, staff, campus administrators and representatives from the community teamed together to consider Wesleyan’s future implementation of service and community engagement initiatives.

With President Balch’s commitment to community engagement becoming an integral part of the strategic planning process, the second annual retreat provided a venue for all participants to exchange ideas and develop a common vision for our campus. The Vice Presidents of Finance and Student Development, the Dean of the Chapel and newly hired Dean of Community Engagement, as well as faculty representing multiple disciplines, such as biology, communication, education, nursing, religion, and sociology were in attendance. The staff in attendance also represented different departments, such as Advancement, Bonner Scholars, Campus Life, Greek Affairs, Housing and Residence Life, and the Library. Community partners from the Family Resource Network and the Upshur County Cooperative Parish were also present and assisted in the planning process.

At the forefront of the agenda, members discussed the implementation of community engagement initiatives within Academics, Student Life, and the infrastructure of Wesleyan as a whole. Retreat participants collaborated to design and initiate a comprehensive plan for implementation of such initiatives on campus.