Maintain Partnerships
Partnerships are dynamic in nature and it is necessary to continually evaluate the relationships and identify the evolution of the partnerships. Consider changing needs and roles of both entities and remain flexible to adjust with those changes.
Nurture Partnerships
Strong partnerships are based on strong relationships. Begin developing relationships before you need them. Make a concerted effort to maintain regular contact with partners to discuss complementary, synergistic, and overlapping interests and expertise. Make sure that communication is regular and bidirectional. Be sensitive to changing and evolving needs of your Center and of your partners and modify your partnership roles, responsibilities, and expectations to reflect these changing needs. Continually re-evaluation partnerships to insure that all partners contribute and benefit appropriately.
The CSME initially developed a partnership with the K-12 community to aid their student recruitment goals. Early, limited partnerships with schools, individual teachers, and administrators have developed into robust partnerships over time.
The Teaching Center describes a number of models and mechanisms they use for nurturing strong partnerships, including a laboratory group model, working groups, workshops, on-line communities, and symposia.
Grow Partnerships
Be aware of the array of roles partners may play in your Center. For example, a museum director that serves on your Center External Advisory Board may partner as a research partner on an informal science education grant proposal. Likewise, a research partner on one project may serve as an external evaluator on a subsequent project. Regularly reevaluation your partnership to look for additional opportunities.
The DLRC partners with campus and external partners in a variety of ways, depending on particular needs. In these partnerships, the DLRC commonly acts as an internal evaluation/project collaborator, an external evaluator (on- or off-campus), or a research collaborator.