TRG/Western Kentucky University: All University Collaboration Model

As an institution built on the foundation of a Normal School, collaboration among faculty members and across program areas and academic units has been part of Western Kentucky University's (WKU) heritage since 1906. In addition to the various collaborative initiatives across campus, there are a variety of initiatives that involve various agencies across the community, including ongoing partnerships with local and area school districts, P-16 Councils, and the Green River Region Educational Cooperative. These collaborations have been enhanced, especially since the court decision resulting in Kentucky's Educational Reform Act (KERA) in 1990 (Rose v. Council, 1989). In the early 1990's the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences created the Task Force on Education Reform -- High Schools and the Task Force on Research Based Instructional Strategies to facilitate institutional work relative to KERA. Both Task Forces involved faculty from what is now the Ogden College of Science and Engineering and the Potter College of Arts and Letters. In addition to the added focus on collaborative initiatives with the onset of KERA, WKU has had a tradition of hiring faculty members in content areas who have pedagogical backgrounds. Not only has this facilitated collaborative efforts across the university, it has also strengthened our ability to bridge theory and application and to connect the on-campus learning opportunities with teacher candidate experiences in P-12 clinical settings. The various collaborative initiatives are designed and implemented from a win-win perspective with credit going to the group rather than an individual unit or person. Promotion and tenure expectations convey the value placed on collaborative initiatives and work with our P-12 and community partners. Collaboration involves opportunities for success along with potential risks, with the absence of success often resulting in new ways of looking at our work and the creation of new collaborative efforts. This article describes three collaborative efforts that have involved three colleges at WKU and community partners.