CCDD Purpose: Service

CCDD receives repeated requests for services because CCDD meets clients' project goals creatively, effectively, and with meaningful community involvement. CCDD is successful, in part, because it can deliver services in a timely and cost-effective manner. The Center looks at problems in a holistic setting, helping clients connect with other individuals and agencies who might contribute new insights or resources. All the stakeholders work together to find and implement the best solution(s).

The practice of service is essential to CCDD's mission in a number of ways. We have a particular, collaborative style that works to benefit all involved. At the inception of a project or when initial contact is made with a potential client, we seek to place their service request in context. Interdependence is crucial for a community to function well. Accordingly, we consider the full range of needs as perceived by all involved. In this way, the number of people and organizations served is greatly increased, and a successful outcome is more likely. Some of our specific, guiding principles are listed below.

• Address only locally identified needs and desires.
• Undertake only actions desired by a broad spectrum of local citizens.
• Involve the broadest possible spectrum of local interests in the community development process and specific projects.
• Strive for consensus among participating community members regarding community goals and objectives, and actions achieving them.
• Make decisions democratically.
• Ensure that participating citizens have ultimate control of the community development process, projects, and decision making.
• Build problem solving capabilities of local citizens.
• Enhance local control and self-sufficiency.
• View the community and community problems as inter-twined parts of a whole evolving system, rather than as distinct, static components.
• Serve as a facilitator, educator, and coordinator in the assisted community.

We implement the community development process in an artful, scientific way (illustrated in Figure 1) that allows us to teach, learn and continuously improve our methodology.

CCDD is the only organized unit on the campus capable of responding to a wide variety of community needs for applied research in any field while providing citizen involvement facilitation, nonprofit and governmental management training, and community development advice. Through its reputation, networking, and occasional marketing efforts, the Center provides a one-stop resource center for communities, agencies, neighborhoods, schools and special districts to access University resources and develop short-term and long-term partnerships. Central Administration has relied on CCDD as a major point of contact for university-wide outreach efforts and has highlighted the work of the Center in its brochures (see copies enclosed).

CCDD consistently practices and promotes the ideal of service. On campus, this means developing and maintaining cooperative working relationships with staff as well as students, faculty, and administrators. Within the office, this means collaborative work on projects with shared responsibilities. CCDD staff members have trained campus staff on the importance of amicable and efficient working relationships.

The campus has benefited from our research and community development expertise in such ways as the research and analysis that led to the funding of health services by student fees and the research that analyzed the need for child care services now provided in the new child care center. The Center recently assisted faculty in their efforts to understand and measure community service, and has guided them in developing methods to teach the value of service in their classes.

Contacts for projects come from many sources. Many hear of us by word of mouth as potential clients discover our services from past clients and government organizations that network with communities. Sometimes faculty or students identify community needs and have the contacts to initiate projects. More recently, CCDD has started marketing its services directly to potential clients like school districts and local governments. In its 19-year history, CCDD has worked in all 63 Colorado Counties and in over 200 communities throughout Colorado (see Map of CCDD Clients). CCDD conducted more than half of these projects have been conducted in the past five years.

Read about our purpose as it relates to education...