Steps to Serving on a PRT

The PRT Process

  • A Letter of Interest is submitted by the Client Institution’s CEO seeking technical assistance.
  • PRT members from a pool of volunteer experts are assigned to the institution.
  • PRT rosters are approved by the institution’s CEO and the IEPI coordinating group.
  • PRT members participate in two training sessions: 1-hour Webinar and full-day PRT Training Workshop
  • Three PRT visits are hosted at the college or district with the first two visits held in one semester/quarter and the third visit conducted the following term.
  • PRT prepares a Summary of Initial (SIV) and Menu of Options (MOO) for the client institution.
  • The PRT helps the college, district, or center team develop an Innovation and Effectiveness Plan (I&EP) that addresses the specified Area of Focus.
  • The client institution is eligible for a one-year IEPI grant of up to $250,000 for a full-PRT and $100,000 for a mini-PRT upon submission of the I&EP.
  • The entire PRT Process typically takes one academic year.

Visits are scheduled based on need and readiness and on the calendars of institutional personnel and Partnership Resource Team members.

For more details about the PRT Process view the Model Process.

The PRT Team

Once you are selected to participate on a Partnership Resource Team (PRT), we will reach out to you using the email you provided on the survey to let you know you have been selected to serve on a team. We will also send you additional communication regarding training, travel, and more to prepare you for your visits to the client institution.

PRT Training, Travel, and Support

Travel Reimbursements & Stipends – When you are selected to participate on a Partnership Resource Team, IEPI will reimburse you for PRT-related travel expenses to attend PRT Training and visits to the institution you are supporting. Stipends are available if your institution allows you to receive them for participation.

PRT Webinar – Before your PRT begins, IEPI hosts a PRT Fundamentals webinar where you are introduced to the PRT process. The webinar is highly recommended for new PRT members and valuable for previous PRT members who have not served on a PRT in a while. The webinar explains what to expect during the campus visits and also provides an opportunity to ask questions. You will receive a webinar invitation along with a Zoom link via email. A recording of the webinar will also be emailed to you following the webinar for future reference if needed.

PRT Training Workshop – The required in-person PRT Training Workshop is a wonderful day where you’ll meet others assigned to serve on your team and spend a day collaborating and learning as you prepare to serve on this rewarding and exciting initiative. You will be notified of the training date and location via email. We will send you hotel and logistics information so you can make your own travel arrangements. Note: Your travel and hotel expenses will be reimbursed by IEPI.

We will prepare you for what to expect on your visits and how to positively support your Client Institution (CI) as you learn about “Appreciative Inquiry”, Active Listening, Change Management, and other resources to make your PRT a positive and rewarding experience.

MS Teams – Soon after receiving your PRT assignment, we will send you communication and a link to your MS Teams group where you will be joined with the other PRT members assigned to your specific PRT. On the Teams site, you will be provided with documents and helpful tools related to your PRT, along with travel reimbursement and stipend forms, training materials and other resources to collaborate with your team.

View PRT Training Workshop videos

Additional Resources

Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI) visiting teams providing technical assistance to client institutions are referred to as Partnership Resource Teams (PRTs).

Members of each PRT are expected to do the following:

  • Commit to at least three visits to the client institution
    • Initial assessment of institutional areas of focus as identified in the Letter of Interest, discussion of institutional actions taken to date, and determination of scope of assistance
    • Review and discussion of suggested options for the institution’s consideration in its Innovation and Effectiveness Plan, and assistance to the institution in preparation of that Plan
    • Follow-up on institutional progress in implementing the Plan, with advice on course corrections if needed, and guidance on sustaining progress
  • Participate in Partnership Resource Team training as requested
  • Apply a high standard of expertise and judgment in helping the institution improve its institutional effectiveness
  • Take into consideration the specific needs, culture, and practices of the institution
  • Recognize institutional personnel as problem-solving peers
  • Convey a helpful attitude toward institutional personnel and other PRT members
  • Focus on sustainable sound practices and solutions more than on problems
  • Keep an open mind about issues and prospective solutions
  • Maintain the highest standard of sensitivity with respect to information about client institutions
  • Coordinate all work with other PRT members and the Lead
  • Prepare for each visit thoroughly, including the review and analysis of applicable documents and formulation of both substantive and clarifying questions before each visit
  • Attend meetings and listen with care to client-institution personnel as needed to arrive at a thorough understanding of the institution’s needs and issues related to institutional effectiveness
  • Summarize what you have heard at the end of the first visit in discussion with the Lead and your teammates
  • Respond in timely fashion to requests for information and paperwork (e.g., feedback on documents, travel reimbursement forms) by the PRT Lead, Project Director, or other IEPI staff
  1. Helpfulness: Convey a helpful attitude toward institutional personnel (and other PRT members) and recognize those personnel as problem-solving peers.
  2. Solution Orientation: Focus on solutions more than on problems; focus on moving ahead rather than on fixing blame.  Avoid appearing as partisans in any conflict or disagreement you might observe.
  3. Fit: Take into consideration the specific needs, culture, and practices of the institution.  The PRT is there to help it develop approaches and solutions that will work well for that institution, not to give it a prefabricated solution.
  4. Openness: Keep an open mind about issues and prospective solutions.  Do not present one idea as the solution, no matter how well it might have worked at your own institution!
  5. Sustainability: Permanent improvements integrated into the fabric of institutional structures and processes are the order of the day.  Quick fixes for the sake of compliance or appearance are not.
  6. Discretion: Maintain the highest standard of sensitivity with respect to information about the client institution.  Use discretion in writing down observations, which should be straightforward and matter of fact—not reflections, for example, of gossip or innuendo; write nothing that you would feel uncomfortable reading about your own institution in your own campus or community newspaper.