Higher education is at an inflection point. Communities face complex, connected challenges, such as economic inequality, democratic disengagement, and environmental vulnerability, that no single institution can solve alone. Colleges and universities bring real assets to that work—teaching, research, partnerships, economic influence, and the next generation of leaders—but many campuses still need to get organized, committed, and strategic enough to use those assets fully.

Campus Action Planning for Civic & Community Engagement (CAP) helps institutions reaffirm and operationalize their public mission. By developing an Action Plan, campuses can formalize the ways they leverage institutional power and resources to promote a thriving democracy and flourishing communities.

Over two days in Boston, campus–community teams will work with CAP Fellows, Coaches, and peers to move through the core stages of the CAP Framework and spend focused time laying groundwork they can take back to their own campus.

What you'll explore

• The why and what of CAP: the guiding principles behind the Campus Action Planning Framework, its six imperatives (asset-based, systemic, interrogative, innovative, future-focused, and transformative), and its four-stage planning cycle
• Pre-planning and team formation: how to assess your readiness, build a coalition on campus, and form an inclusive planning team that includes community partners
• Self-assessment: grounding your plan in your institution's values, shared definitions and existing documents and data, so it rests on evidence rather than assumptions
• The five CAP domains: a guided domain scan covering institutional identity and core values, faculty and staff engagement, student engagement, community partnerships, and institutional infrastructure
• Power and asset mapping: charting the people, resources, and relationships in your campus–community ecosystem
• Aspirational planning: drafting a shared vision for engagement and turning it into strong, flexible goals
• Scoping and operationalizing: an introduction to prioritizing goals and building action plans you can carry out

What you'll leave with

• A preliminary self-assessment, CAP Domain Scan and campus-community ecosystem map plus tools to keep facilitating the process with your wider team
• Worksheets you've started for your own campus, plus tools to keep facilitating the process with your wider team
• A first draft of your engagement vision and goals
• A realistic timeline for your planning process, and ideas for using this thinking even if you aren't ready for a full plan
• Connections with CAP Fellows, Coaches, and peer institutions, and a path to continued support from Campus Compact
   

Campus Compact Member: $25

Non-member: $100

Check your membership status here. If this the registration fee presents a financial barrier in you and your team's participation, please contact Alexis Bucknam at abucknam@compact.org to discuss options for financial support.