Binghamton University Community Engagement Coordinator

Community Engagement Coordinator

Category: Professional
Department: Center for Civic Engagement
Locations: Binghamton, NY
Posted: Jun 18, '10
Type: Full-time
Ref. No.: 07847
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About Binghamton University:
Binghamton, one of four university centers within the State University of New York, was named the premier public university in the northeast by The Fiske Guide to Colleges "because of its outstanding academic programs ... and its commitment to undergraduates." Binghamton University enrolls about 14,500 students in programs leading to bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. The University consists of Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, the College of Community and Public Affairs, the School of Management, the Decker School of Nursing, and the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science. The Graduate School administers advanced-degree programs in these schools, but both our undergraduate and graduate students are taught by the same outstanding faculty. Twenty-six specialized research centers, along with three institutes for advanced studies and a GIS CORE facility, attract scholars from around the globe to Binghamton's modern campus.

Job Description:
Budget Title: Community Relations Associate (SL-2)
Salary: $39,000-$43,000
The Community Engagement Associate is a professional employee who will work closely with the CCE Director and other CCE staff to help support, promote, and expand civic engagement opportunities. S/he will primarily be responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of projects and activities that engage BU students, faculty, and staff for public benefit. Also, the CE Associate will assist the Director with the development and support of center-wide functions.

Specific Duties:
--Identify and track campus initiatives that involve students in the community through volunteer activities, classes with community components, community-based research, internships, and other forms of experiential education
--Work with the CCE team to host the annual Showcase of Community Opportunities, days of service which involve many from BU, and other events and activities
--Help identify, develop and arrange community-based projects
--Make/arrange public presentations and trainings
--Work effectively with cooperating offices, units, academic departments, and student groups from across campus
--Engage in recruitment efforts of students, faculty, and community partners
--Produce informational, promotional, and supporting materials, i.e., brochures, project descriptions, newsletter articles, sections of grant proposals, etc.
--Maintain proper documentation of all activities
--Assist with the collection and maintenance of data relevant to CCE programs and goals
--Help promote CCE through multiple media (e.g., website, email, social media, and other electronic means)
--Generate summary materials and reports
--Help maintain and update information on the CCE website
--Track participation in activities, courses, and projects and other forms of community engagement
Requirements:
Bachelors degree required.
Preferred qualifications include:
• Masters degree
• Experience with efficient office organization
• Experience in organizing and participating in community-based partnerships and initiatives
• Thorough understanding of civic engagement
• Familiarity with Binghamton University and the Broome County region
• Proficiency with Windows, Office Suite, outlook, social media, website maintenance
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Application Instructions:
Deadline for Internal Applicants: 7/2/10
Deadline for External Applicants: open until filled
Persons interested in this position should apply online. http://binghamton.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=19002
Please submit:
1. Resume
2. Cover letter and
3. Contact information for three professional references.
You may add additional files/documents after uploading your resume. After you fill out your contact information, you will be directed to the upload page. Please login to check/edit your profile or to upload additional documents: http://binghamton.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=19002
DO NOT MAKE DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE STAFF OR DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT REGARDING THIS POSITION.
The State University of New York and Binghamton University are Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employers.


COREquisites:


1. * Do you have a Bachelors degree (or higher)?
2. Do you have a Masters degree?
3. Do you have 3 or more years of experience in an office setting?
4. Do you have 3 or more years of experience in organizing/participating in community-based initiatives?
5. Are you familiar with the Broome County region?
6. Are you proficient with Windows, Office Suite, and Outlook?
7. Are you proficient with social media?
8. Are you proficient with website management?
9. I affirm that all the statements made on this application for employment (including any attached documents) are true and accurate. I understand that all statements made by me in conjunction with this application are subject to investigation and verification and that a material misstatement or misrepresentation may disqualify me from appointment and/or lead to revocation of my appointment.
10. Are you currently employed by Binghamton University or the Research Foundation at Binghamton University?

Upcoming Survey

The purpose of this post is to alert you about a survey you should be receiving within the next couple of days.

As most of you know, I am a faculty member in the Public Administration Department at Binghamton University. Recently, my colleagues Laura Bronstein, Kristina Lambright and I have been working on a research project designed to make the reporting public and private funders require of provider agencies like yours more useful to you and your funders. To gather the information we need for this project, we have prepared a brief, confidential survey that we'd like you to complete. To ensure the survey was clear to agency directors, I asked two leaders of the South Central NY Executive Director's Group, Dick Squire and Darryl Newvine, to review it. Both provided helpful feedback that improved the survey.

Public and private funders from a six county region (Broome, Tioga, Chemung, Tompkins, Chenango and Cortland) have agreed to participate in the project; they will receive a separate survey about the kinds of reporting they require and the reasons they require it.

Again, our goal is to encourage collaboration and dialogue between funders and providers about the development of reporting information that is mutually beneficial. After we finish this project, we will provide opportunities for you to learn about what we have found and convene funders and providers to discuss implications of our project for improving practice.

Many of you should receive this survey tomorrow or Friday, I am sending this e-mail simply as a "heads-up" and to encourage you to complete it! Our work is only as good as the information we get from you! If you have questions about the project, please contact me at dcamp@binghamton.edu.

David Campbell

Join the National Discussion on our Federal Budget

Our national debt is projected to grow at an unsustainable rate if our country remains on its current course. Our nation’s leaders have decided that something needs to be done, but they need to hear from us and they are willing to listen. It is time to come together as a country to make the tough choices that will ensure America’s future.

Join Americans across the country linked together by live video and the Internet to let them know what we think. The National Town Meeting is our chance to learn about the issues, find common ground, and present our priorities to leaders in Washington.

NATIONAL TOWN MEETING
Saturday, June 26, 2010
11:30 AM

ACCORD
30 W. State Street
Colonial Plaza 2nd Floor
Binghamton, NY 13901
Please register and RSVP to
(607) 724-5153
Register today! Go to www.USABudgetDiscussion.org. Click on Participate and Attend a Town Meeting. Enter the zip code above to locate this Community Conversation.

The national discussion is being made possible by grants from The Peter G. Peterson Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

CALL FOR 2010 HEART OF THE ARTS AWARDS NOMINATIONS

The Broome County Arts Council invites all interested members of the community to submit nominations for the Heart of the Arts Awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2010. The annual awards were created to honor individuals who have made significant recent and long-term contributions to the arts in Broome County.

Eligible nominees must be individuals who have lived and worked in Broome County for no less than one year, with an active history of involvement with the arts. Official Nomination Forms and submission guidelines may be downloaded here.

Hard-copy forms are available at Broome County Arts Council, 81 State Street, Suite 501 in downtown Binghamton.

Deadline for RECEIPT of Heart of the Arts nominations is:
5:00pm Friday, August 6th.

For more information, contact 607-723-4620 Ext. 101 or e-mail information@bcartscouncil.com.

Steering Committee Meeting Minutes June 15

South Central New York Executive Directors Group
Steering Committee Meeting
June 15, 2010, 8:30 am
ACCORD Offices, Binghamton, New York

In attendance: Darrell Newvine - Steering Committee Chair, Dick Squire – Vice Chair, Keith Leahey – Committee Member, Deborah Fitzgerald – Committee Member, Cynthia Smith Gordineer – General Member & David Karre, General Member.

1) Steering Committee Membership –
Darrell Newvine expressed his desire to step down from his role as Steering Committee Chair and has offered to take on the role of Membership Chair and to stay active in the Steering Committee.
Deborah Fitzgerald was asked to take on the role of Steering Committee Chair and has accepted.
Dick Squire has agreed to remain as Vice Chair
David Karre and Cynthia Smith Gordineer have agreed to work as Interim Co- Chairs of the programs committee. David has also expressed interest in working as Vice Chair.
Keith Leahey will continue as a Steering Committee Member and will assist with committees as needed.
It is anticipated that Joe Sellepak will continue as Special Project Committee Chair.
The focus of these Steering Committee changes at this time is to keep continuity from initial group and to assist with moving the group forward in its mission and toward development of new steering committee members who will transition into group leadership roles. We will continue to reach out to those members who have expressed an interested in increased involvement.
The Next Steering Committee Meeting is scheduled for September 17th, 8:30 am at Accord, 30 W. State St, Binghamton

2) Program Committee –
It was agreed by all present that the focus of the September meeting be a facilitated discussion/brainstorming session with general membership on how the needs of the ED’s in our community have changed since the group began and how we can be more responsive to those needs. Do we need different types of programming and member interaction or more focus on specific topics to draw greater participation? Sustaining the ED Group – Does it provide something valuable to ED’s? If yes, call out to members to be actively engaged in the process and the increased benefits of involvement.

A Date for the next program was set for September 30th at 8:30 am and will be hosted by the Red Cross at 620 East Main Street, Endicott.

3) Special Projects Committee –
No report from the special projects committee at this time.

Men That Cook September 16

Save The Date!
8th Annual Amateur Chef Competition
Silent Auctions & Raffles

Binghamton Regency
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Call 607.771.8888 or visit www.yourmha.com for information.

Pedaling 4 Paws June 24th

www.pedaling4paws.org
Cyclists are gearing up for the second annual ride from West Chester PA to Ogdensburg NY to raise money for animal rescue.

Our ride will take us through 7 counties in PA and 5 counties in NY for a total of 450 miles.

You can help by either riding all of the route or a portion of it with us and help raise money for your local shelter. Or you can donate to our local Humane Society on behalf of Pedaling4Paws.

Its all good!!!

To donate……
Go to the “donate locally” page on our website and click on the link to the Humane Society Binghamton. (Since you can’t designate P4P when using a credit card, please send an email to the shelter and let them know that’s what the donation is for!)

To ride with us……
Check out the route on our website and then contact Viktor Ohnjec at vo@m2vp.com.

We’ll arrive at the Humane Society sometime mid-morning on June 24th. Come out and say hello!

Comptroller: Nonprofit groups suffering because of late state budget

The Press & Sun-Bulletin reported that nonprofits that contract with the state are not getting paid because of the late budget, which is forcing some groups to consider suspending services temporarily or closing altogether, according to a new report from the state comptroller.

Aside from the late budget, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found that the state's track record of approving contracts on time has worsened. They were approved late 82 percent of the time in 2009, compared to 63 percent of the time the previous year.

"The budget crisis is causing a financial crisis for not-for-profits. It's a double shot of trouble," DiNapoli said in a statement. "Contracts for services are being held up and organizations can't get reimbursed for services they have already provided. It's wrong to expect organizations that operate on shoe-string budgets to float the state."

The comptroller said the state cannot continue to operate with weekly emergency-spending bills. The state budget is now 10 weeks late. Lawmakers and Gov. David Paterson have been unable to reach an agreement, largely because they disagree on how to close roughly $2 billion of a $9.2 billion deficit.

Paterson is expected on Friday to release his emergency-appropriations legislation for next week, which he said would include cuts in mental health and human services.

State agencies spend a total of $41.9 billion on 25,811 contracts with not-for-profits that provide services in employment, day care, health care, weatherization, family planning and numerous other areas. Read more here.

Recap and Handouts for June 8th Collaboration: A Step by Step Guide

On June 8th Denise Dyer, Regional Youth Development Coordinator, NYS Office of Children & Family Services presented on the topic Collaboration: a Step by Step Guide to the South Central NY Executive Directors’ Forum. Denise started the program with a discussion of our worst experiences with collaboration (encouraging the participants to be careful to not name names). She has attached the list so readers might be able to find experiences to which they can relate.

After eliciting from the group the value of collaboration Denise went on to provide several definition and then provide and discuss handouts about what leads to a successful collaboration. Throughout the discussion Denise tied these factors to what had gone awry in our experiences.

Denise has been kind enough to share her handouts with the Forum members. Please see the attachments.

• Presentation
• 19 Factors Influencing Successful Collaborations
• A Collaboration Checklist

Have your own thoughts or feedback? Share it here.

Forum Recap featuring NYS Comptroller and Panel on Strategic Alliances & Partnerships

The blog, Done by People, by Joe Brown, Principal and Founder of Slope Resources, LLC, offered the following recap of the "A Conversation with NYS Comptroller Thomas P. Di Napoli and Panel Discussion on Strategic Alliances & Partnerships."

On Monday, I had the opportunity to attend a highly informative and engaging forum which brought together government and nonprofit representatives to discuss the topic of strategic alliances and partnerships among nonprofit organizations. While the discussion focused on New York State’s nonprofit sector, the challenges, considerations, and ideas discussed are applicable to organizations nationwide. In the absence of a video or audio recording of the session, I wanted to share this detailed recap and my impressions of the session.

The event was sponsored by the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region and the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) and held at the headquarters of New York State United Teachers (very nice digs, by the way) in Latham, New York, a few miles northeast of Albany.

Karen Bilowith, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region, presided over the session. The approximately 75 attendees included representatives of various nonprofits, including arts, cultural, health, and human services organizations, as well as a number of funders and consultants (including yours truly). Following Ms. Bilowith’s welcoming comments, New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez provided brief opening remarks. Ms. Cortés-Vázquez assured the attendees that “most in government” recognize the importance of the nonprofit sector and rules and regulations pertaining to the sector should not be so onerous as to provide disincentives for staff, board members, and volunteers to participate.

I’m from the government, and…
Ms. Cortés-Vázquez then introduced the session’s keynote speaker, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The Office of the State Comptroller has responsibility for the review, approval, and payment of the state’s contracts with nonprofit organizations. Mr. DiNapoli noted the importance of the nonprofit sector to the state and its economy, citing 2006 statistics that the state’s approximately 24,000 nonprofits reported revenue of $133 billion and employed nearly 1.2 million people, or 17% of the state’s workforce. He quantified the state’s contractual bonds with the sector as consisting of nearly 31,000 active contracts totaling $14.6 billion, as of June 2009. Read more here.

The balance of the session was devoted to presentations and discussion by a panel consisting of:
■Doug Sauer, who has served as Chief Executive Officer of New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) since 1980. NYCON’s membership represents approximately 1,600 charitable nonprofit organizations across New York State.
■Cristine Cioffi, who is a partner in the law firm of Cioffi • Slezak • Wildgrube P.C., but spoke primarily in her role as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Ellis Medicine, an organization which resulted from the recent merger of three nonprofit hospitals in Schenectady County.
■David W. Palmquist, who as Manager of the New York State Museum’s Chartering Program, oversees the chartering of museums, historical societies, and similar cultural organizations with educational purposes across the state.
The panelists responded to questions posed by Ms. Bilowith, as well as several questions from audience members.

Doug Sauer
While all three of the panelists presented interesting perspectives on the potential of various collaborative models for nonprofit organizations, I was particularly impressed by Mr. Sauer’s insight and candor on a number of fronts. Early in his presentation, he discussed the recent proliferation of nonprofits, describing the creation of thousands of new organizations each year, many of which are not active, and the resultant saturated environment. (I was reminded of a recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, which noted that the number of nonprofit organizations nationwide has increased by 90% to 1.2 million since 1996). Read more here.