Exemplary Engagement Projects by Davidson and LaPine Selected to Represent MSU in National Award Program

Projects by William S. Davidson II, University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology, and Peter R. LaPine, Associate Professor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, were placed in consideration for the W. K. Kellogg Foundation Engagement Award and C. Peter Magrath University/Community Engagement Award, based on the recommendation of President Lou Anna K. Simon and Provost Kim A. Wilcox. The nominations were submitted in February and Davidson's project was named the winner for the North Central Region in mid-April.

The award program is implemented by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), formerly known as the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. Presentations by finalists, judging, and selection of the top national honors will occur during the National Outreach Scholarship Conference to be held September 28-30, 2009, at the University of Georgia. The announcement of the national winner will take place during the APLU annual meeting in November 2009.

Adolescent Diversion Project

The Adolescent Diversion Project, founded in 1976 by Dr. William S. Davidson II, represents a collaborative agreement between the National Institute of Mental Health's Center for Studies of Crime and Delinquency, the MSU graduate program in ecological psychology, and the Ingham County Juvenile Court. The founding goals created innovative educational experiences, best practice interventions, and sound scientific methodology to address the pressing social issue of juvenile delinquency.

The project was selected to represent MSU because of its long-running collaboration with community partners, the number of youth impacted by the project, the level of published scholarship, and continued federal grant support. More than 4,000 youth have been diverted from the local juvenile court with dramatic reductions in repeat offenses. Additionally, more than 4,000 MSU undergraduates have participated in educational experiences within the juvenile justice system. The project has had positive impacts for the community, students, and scholarship for more than 25 years.

"I cannot overemphasize the degree to which this collaboration is valued. This joint effort has clearly served the needs of the local community through real impact on crime and savings of scarce juvenile justice resources. It has also produced new knowledge which will inform juvenile justice policy and practice in years to come," said Maureen Winslow, deputy court administrator in the family division of the Ingham County Circuit Court.

Project on Collaborative International Engagement: Educating a Culture Through Innovative Technology and Clinical Practice

With an initial goal to provide clinical speech and hearing screening services to the indigenous Mayan population in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Dr. Peter R. LaPine's project has grown to a multidisciplinary, cross-collegial enterprise with international scope.

After a decade of involvement it has grown to 36 projects, serving 9,660 families, incorporating MSU students in service-learning and research, and creating an interactive, online community engagement partnership of great potential for replication in other parts of the world.

Cleft lip and palate surgeries and treatments, prenatal care, and other health related projects are conducted. LaPine has created a virtual clinic where he and his students can track patient progress beyond the initial treatment and allow patients and family members to take an active role in their own health care. The Virtual Clinic format also provides a critical role for educating health care providers in proper treatment methods.

"We have benefited greatly from the virtual clinic program," said Lavonna Redman, founder of Angel Notion, a nonprofit organization in Playa del Carmen. "Our collaboration with MSU has expanded to include our local and state government, city and state health departments, other community medical professionals, small universities, and community leaders. There is still much to improve, and our local government and the community offer full support in any missions that include Michigan State University."

2009 W.K. Kellogg Foundation Engagement Award and C. Peter Magrath University/Community Engagement Award

The C. Peter Magrath University Community Engagement Award recognizes the outreach and engagement partnerships of four-year public universities. The award program identifies colleges and universities that have redesigned their learning, discovery, and engagement functions to become even more sympathetically and productively involved with their communities. The award was established in 2006 and is named for C. Peter Magrath, who served as president of NASULGC from 1992-2005.