Creating a Culture of Engaged Scholarship

Creating a Culture of Engaged Scholarship

Office of Outreach and Engagement

$87,000 awarded


Recognizing that Boyer (1996) argues that the scholarship of engagement is more than adding more programs, the Office of Outreach and Engagement is supporting two initiatives that will lead to informing future university-community partnerships. Note: both of these projects are supported using cash carry-forward funds.


Research Project: 'Getting it right': Principles for university engagement in the community from the perspective of the community

How can a large, land-grant research institution build meaningful community relationships while conducting research? Note that when we refer to research, we are interested in the range of methods that provide a range of roles for community members, from conventional approaches whereas the community member is a test subject, to approaches, such as CBPR, whereas the community member acts as a collaborative researcher. Our research objectives are as follows: (1) Describe the experience of community members in university research and engagement; (2) Document the language community members use in regards to community-university research relationships; (3) Understand how community members perceive the institution and its role in the community; and (4) Identify the ways that community members want the university to build and maintain relationships with them and vice versa, with a specific focus on what reciprocity means to community members and, from the community's perspective, what organizational infrastructure and practices could create the ideal environment community university relationship.

PI: Michelle Kaiser (College of Social Work); Jason Reece (College of Engineering Knowlton School); Jill Clark (Glenn College of Public Affairs); Ryan Schmiesing (Office of Academic Affairs)


Darryl B. Hood
College of Public Health

Funding will be used to support the continued development and/or implementation of the E6 model, a new community engagement model, Enriching Environmental Endeavors via e-Equity, Education and Empowerment. The model incorporates a Public Health Exposome framework with Big Data to Knowledge analytics, does not assume one cause of poor health outcomes. The innovative aspect of the model is that public health professionals, clinical researchers, and physicians work in synergy with federally qualified health centers, mental health providers, Medicaid providers, and early learning developmental centers to function as a multidisciplinary stakeholder research team. The functional stakeholder research team works to identify commonalities, associations, and links between disparities and outcomes and then determines mitigation strategies and intervention approaches for residents of vulnerable communities. As community engagement is paramount to the success of the initiative, the leadership team continually seeks to identify novel strategies to ensure success. Funds may be used to support the implementation of the model, engagement of community members, and/or evaluation and assessment strategies.


Kip Curtis - Faculty Fellow

Kip Curtis, associate professor of Environmental History/Mansfield campus, has joined the Office of Outreach and Engagement as a faculty fellow. In this role, he will continue his focus on the development and implementation of a replicable model of community engagement that results in expansion of the Mansfield Microfarm to other Ohio communities. In this 30 percent appointment, Kip will focus his efforts on a number of key areas that will inform the potential replication of this model. More specifically, he will:

  • Assess the current project to identify future best practices, strategies, and opportunities for replication.
  • Share research through peer reviewed publications so that others may replicate this model in their communities.
  • Advise individuals and communities in Ohio focusing on broad-based community engagement strategies that could lead to this project replication.
  • Contribute to the development of tools, resources, and professional development for faculty leading engaged scholarship initiatives.

Department of Dance

The OSU Dance Department is continuously working to diversify its student body and serve students from the greater metropolitan Columbus area. One of the obstacles we have met is the lack of preparation demonstrated by students in the area, students of color, and first-generation college studentswith a good amount of intersectionality in these populations. As a remedy, the Department of Dance is working to launch a summer intensive for 2021.


Department of Linguistics

Some disciplines have natural connections and/or relationships to quickly ramp up community partnerships, while other disciplines do not. This grant supports the department's efforts to continue to develop and grow their relationship with a local school, documenting best practices and lessons learned about this community engagement initiative.