Continuous improvement is a key value of the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center (CEC). It drives our commitment to measuring the impact on our students, partners, building users, campus, and community.
We utilize quantitative and qualitative data from multiple sources to determine the effectiveness of our programs, the satisfaction of our building partners and users, the impact of our capacity-building efforts, and improvements we can make.
Since 2014, the CEC has conducted surveys of our building partner organizations. The results are shared and discussed at regular building partner “All Hands” meetings, with the CEC Building Advisory Committee, and in publications and reports.
To learn more or request these reports, please email unoengagement@unomaha.edu.
Annual Survey Research Phases
From 2014-15, working with our partners at CERC, a 2-year research study regarding the impact of being a values-based building, and whether or not our values were affecting the work and interactions of our building partners, was completed.
We believe the findings of the 2014 and 2015 Annual Survey will be helpful to other universities as they contemplate similar campus or place-based community engagement centers that involve multiple partners.
The study began with the 2016 Values Baseline Survey of the CEC’s building partners, including its university (staff, faculty, and students) and community (staff and volunteer) partners.
A CERC doctoral student conducted a qualitative study of the CEC’s building partners’ capacity needs in early 2017. In addition to compiling the report, the CERC worked with CEC staff to identify “Top Findings” from the report.
The 2017 Capacity Study has been utilized to identify additional capacity-building opportunities, refine marketing and communication strategies in the CEC, and improve networking efforts. The annual survey and interim values study have been combined into one instrument since 2017.
The feedback we receive from each survey helps us improve the experiences and efforts, of those individuals using our facility to make Omaha and the world a better place.