League for Innovation in the Community College Spring 2020 | Page 18

LEADING THE ZEITGEIST WITH CLUB Z BY CARON SADA T he word Zeitgeist represents the spirit of the times and the prevailing ideas and beliefs as society moves forward. As we look to the new decade and beyond, how can we lead the Zeitgeist on our campuses and better serve our students, colleagues, and communities? Club Zeitgeist, or Club Z, is designed to help bring about positive organizational change while delivering student success through experiential learning for students, employees, and community members. Available to any college campus, Club Z includes regularly scheduled gatherings for Z Social Incubation and turnkey initiatives such as the Z Achievement Award. Implementation of the Club Z pilot at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) in Phoenix, Arizona, has gained national attention for student engagement, with more than 300 students earning the Club Z Achievement Award. The Z Achievement process includes students creating and implementing a project individually or as part of a team, 16 League for Innovation in the Community College Innovatus followed by the completion of ten reflective questions about their experience. Students can engage in any type of project of interest to them, such as service learning, civic engagement, the arts, research, and social entrepreneurship. At PVCC, students who complete the process receive an award certificate and are eligible for additional prizes funded through the Z Connect Program and Scholarship Fund. In addition to Club Z gatherings and Z Achievement Awards, examples of initiatives include Z Imagine Pitch (an interdisciplinary pitch contest), Share Z Love (a recruitment and exhibit event), Z-Imaginary Makerspace (a recruitment and social incubation event), and Social by Design (an approach to leading change initiatives for college administrators). These activities are designed to give all campus stakeholders new experiences that inspire innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in action—the culture of a thriving makerspace even if we find ourselves in a board room.