Community Benefits
- Decision-makers committed to inclusive planning programs
- Citizens meaningfully engaged in community planning
- Decision-makers and citizens making informed decisions
- More communities implementing beneficial ideas
- Enhanced collaboration among all involved parties
- Innovative projects that would otherwise often constrain budgets
- High rate of return on investment
- Increased publicity in local, state, and regional publications
- Improved reputation as a forward-thinking, resilient community
Selection Criteria
A partner community is selected based on the quality of the application and the commitment to increase community capacity in each of the six core competencies through TxTC’s train-equip-assist approach. The local partner is expected to invest its own resources to support TxTC activities.
Levels of Involvement
As a high-impact service learning organization, there are multiple levels of involvement we can provide to your community. Contact us to find out how we can help your community today!
Community Checklist
Before applying, we encourage communities to consider if the following steps can be completed:
1. Form a Task Force
In order to be selected, a potential partner community will need to secure commitments from a diverse group of community members. The cadre should consist of 8-12 members, each of whom can commit to attending 2/3 of the total workshops and meetings. We encourage you to form a diverse group of citizens and stakeholders. Members can include:
- City staff
- Elected officials
- Extension agents
- County staff
- Watershed council members
- Transit district staff
- School district staff
- Nonprofit organizations
- Business or professional organizations
- Private funders
- Research or educational institutions
- Citizens
- Other stakeholders
2. Identify Projects
Partners should develop a list of potential projects. Contact the TxTC program coordinator to discuss proposed projects.
Project timelines will align with Texas A&M’s 15-week academic semester terms. The fall semester is from August–December. The spring semester is from January–May.
Partners are encouraged to collaborate with other local entities to formulate projects and share costs. These could include:
- Cities
- Counties
- Watershed councils
- Transit districts
- School districts
- Nonprofit organizations
- Business or professional organizations
- Private funders
- Educational or research institutions (e.g. universities or extension programs)
3. Commit Resources
Financial
We will work with the local team to create a budget based on community needs. A typical project may include the following:
- Coordination support from TxTC staff
- Student and faculty site visits
- 5–7 community projects
- A number of public involvement workshops
- Compilation, printing, and electronic copies of final reports
- Publicity and hosting of events
- Student-created materials for display
- Funds for project implementation
- Hiring a TxTC program manager (qualified graduate assistant)
Costs will vary based on the number of community projects, number of academic courses involved, and the level of student activity in each course.
Designate local project manager
The partner community must also identify a primary project manager to serve as a liaison between the partner and TTC. The project manager should champion community goals by effectively directing and motivating stakeholders to participate in the partnership.
The project manager will:
- Prepare background materials
- Accompany students on site visits
- Participate in reviews and presentations of student work
- Meeting logistics
- Ensure participants stay up to date
- Follow up on group decisions
The partner should provide TxTC with:
- Prior concept plans
- Vision documents
- Architectural renderings
- Computer-aided drawings
- GIS maps and layers
- Community datasets
- Aerial photographs
4. Apply
Apply during our annual Call for Community Collaboration. You can contact us at 979.845.7813 or texastargetcommunities@tamu.edu.