Organizational Self-discovery and the Development of Campus Community

Name of Concept: Organizational Self-discovery and the Development of Campus Community

Overview

The idea is simple: enhance the connections between faculty and students, students and students, faculty and faculty, students and staff, faculty and staff and staff and staff. The university is large and diverse and, while we can leverage that in nearly infinite ways, the individuals on the campus are largely disconnected with other individuals with common interest. The nature of buildings, departments, etc. makes this commonplace but, with a custom application of a social networking platform, potentially meaningful connections within the campus could be fostered to enhance research, teaching, school spirit and personal growth.

How this idea leverages current areas of RIT expertise

RIT has significant expertise in social networking from a technical, business and social perspective. The the social networking platform "meetu" developed by the Open Publishing Lab last year was developed with this potential application in mind.

Main RIT on-campus champion(s) for this idea

The Open Publishing Lab, Michael Riordan, Patricia Albanese

Is there potential off-campus advocacy and support for the idea?

Yes.

Are you aware of another university that is working on a similar idea?

There are several with micro-models of the same concept, but nothing comprehensive or robust.

How you envision this idea advancing RIT's national or global stature in an important or emerging field

This will position RIT as a place where people are engaged in their work and in their connection to the campus and its rich resources. It enriches our student, staff and faculty experiences.

Why you believe RIT has a unique opportunity or an ability to differentiate itself through this idea

We are both a large university and small community and, in this way, uniquely positioned to develop this model of intra-organization connection. As the model develops and connections between individuals strength the sense of community, RIT benefits by improved use of resources, improved morale and by being the model for a community within an organization -- a model that many organizations will have interest in.