Evaluating Community Outreach Partnership Centers as Complex Systems: In Search of the "COPC Effect"

Abstract

Inherent in the philosophy behind COPC programs and universitycommunity collaboration is flexibility in instituting models, strategies, and solutions for those partnerships. Evaluating collaborative efforts, however, is difficult because each collaborative project differs according to the university/community need, resources, and goals. One view of the challenge of evaluating such diverse programs is discussed.