Organized a summit and virtual engagement series to catalyze collaborations that transform outreach efforts in higher education

Convening Employees and Partners Across the Organization

The summit brought together over 200 attendees from various departments, campuses, and disciplines to explore the critical role that outreach efforts play across the university and state. Often times, groups work in their own silos and rarely have the opportunity to explore overlaps between their work. As the VP of Outreach, Dr. Larry Terry remarked, “I truly believe that today can move us from silos to synergy.”

Attendees participated in interactive brainstorming sessions and participatory discussions, where representatives from various commonwealth campuses, colleges, and centers explored ongoing outreach programming and potential collaborations. One participant highlighted, “We all seem to have a very similar desire on coming together and collaborating, it’s just how do we get there.”

Key concepts discussed during the summit included the importance of building trust, fostering collaborative partnerships, making education accessible, breaking down internal silos, promoting continuous learning, and ensuring transparent communication. Many of these themes were distilled through a World Cafe workshop that we led for attendees.

Many of these ideas were put into action through a closing Open Space session we facilitated, where participants developed and explored 30 concrete collaborative initiatives. Immediately following the summit, specific initiatives were put into place that strengthen the collaborative culture of the workplace.

Building on Momentum: Virtual Engagement for Strategic Alignment

After the success of the Imagination Summit, our work with Penn State Outreach continued by harnessing the energy generated during that in-person event. Recognizing that strategic planning is an ongoing, dynamic process, we partnered with them to deepen the conversation through a series of virtual sessions. These sessions were designed to extend the collaborative spirit of the summit and ensure that employees and key partners had a continuous, active role in shaping the organization’s strategic plan.

Throughout the upcoming year, we organized “Virtual Imagination Sessions” hosted on Remo. These sessions built upon the themes of the in-person summit while focusing on the specific outreach priorities. Participants had the opportunity to connect across units, break out into small-group discussions, and engage in interactive exercises such as World Cafés and Pro-Action Cafés. Session goals included:

• Deepening understanding of how individual and team efforts aligned with evolving outreach priorities.
• Capturing real-time feedback to inform the strategic plan.
• Fostering an environment where employees could share success stories, voice challenges, and propose actionable next steps.

A typical session began with networking and a brief framing by Penn State Outreach leadership, followed by structured rounds of discussion. For example, participants explored questions like “When considering our priorities, what work are you already doing that excites you?” and “Who is missing from our work and conversations that, if included, would strengthen our land-grant efforts?” This structured approach ensured that every voice was heard and every idea was documented.

Harvesting Insights: The Power of Collective Storytelling for Lasting Impact

After each session, we compiled a detailed Harvest Report that captured key themes, innovative ideas, and specific action items discussed. Some of the standout themes that emerged included:

• Breaking Down Silos and Enhancing Internal Collaboration: Employees across departments expressed a strong desire to move beyond isolated efforts and the virtual session showcased a tangible way in which that could happen on a periodic basis.
• Amplifying Impact Through Storytelling: Participants stressed the importance of communicating Outreach’s successes, with many suggesting that sharing compelling stories would help attract further support and resources.
• Expanding Partnerships: A recurring recommendation was to include a broader range of voices—policy makers, students, alumni, community groups, and business partners—to enrich Outreach’s work and strengthen its land-grant mission.

In the Pro-Action Café sessions, participants not only discussed challenges but also brainstormed concrete next steps. These sessions were organized around pre-identified topics, such as establishing shared metrics for reporting impact, growing the Keystone Collective Impact model, and developing new revenue-generating opportunities. The open yet structured nature of these discussions led to commitments from several breakout groups, with participants pledging to take immediate steps toward more coordinated efforts.

The virtual sessions served as a critical bridge between the initial summit and the strategic planning process. By involving employees in every step of the conversation, the Outreach team was able to:

• Co-create a Strategic Plan: The detailed feedback and actionable recommendations captured in the Harvest Reports were directly integrated into the strategic planning discussions.
• Foster a Culture of Continuous Collaboration: Beyond the typical town hall updates, employees now saw tangible evidence of their contributions shaping the organization’s future. As one employee shared, “It’s empowering to see how our input is transforming the way Outreach thinks and operates.”
• Enhance Transparency and Trust: The iterative process of gathering, sharing, and acting on community-informed data helped build trust both within the organization and among its external partners.

By leveraging innovative facilitation techniques such as World Cafés, Pro-Action Cafés, and Appreciative Interviews, we not only sustained the momentum of the Imagination Summit but also enabled Penn State Outreach to transition from siloed efforts to a truly collaborative, strategic enterprise.