Volume 7 - Issue 4 - Home Page

Featured MSU Engaged Scholars

New Hardware and a Social Media Model Create Opportunities for Shared Learning

New Hardware and a Social Media Model Create Opportunities for Shared Learning

David Kramer wants to answer big questions about the state of photosynthesis on our planet. Answering these big questions requires a lot of data, and, in the past, gathering this information was not easy: The technology for taking key plant measurements has been expensive, and researchers at different institutions have had no good way of sharing data.

Kramer and his colleagues have overcome these two obstacles with the development of the MultispeQ device—an affordable handheld tool for taking vital plant measurements—and the PhotosynQ software, which makes it possible to upload these measurements into "the cloud" where they can be shared and analyzed by researchers everywhere, to give greater insights into how plants work and how to make them better. The impact of this scholarship provides critical information for scientists, plant breeders, and others to improve the productivity and security of crops in communities around the world ... read more


Collaboration Brings Fresh Ideas for Michigan's State Parks

Collaboration Brings Fresh Ideas for Michigan's State Parks

With 102 state parks and recreation areas, Michigan has one of the largest state park systems in the country. Millions of guests visit these properties each year, and understandably, local businesses that rely on tourism count on these sites to attract millions of dollars as well. While the Recreation Passport program—instituted in 2010—has increased revenue for the parks, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources still operates on a tight budget, one that is unable to address hundreds of millions of dollars in needed capital improvements. The DNR has been called on in recent years to assume responsibility for new properties such as the state's historic parks and Belle Isle in Detroit.

In 2012, MSU's School of Planning, Design, and Construction (SPDC) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) launched a program that addresses some of the most pressing needs for Michigan's state parks. It is called the MSU-DNR Sustainable Park Planning Partnership, and aims for collaborative learning that puts students to work tackling projects as diverse as trail development and conference center design. The plans they have created have led, so far, to roughly $600,000 in improvements to the park system ... read more

MSU Priorities

Community and Economic Development in the 21st Century

Applying Business Expertise to Area Nonprofits Helps Build Local Capacity

Applying Business Expertise to Area Nonprofits Helps Build Local Capacity

A new course in the MSU Eli Broad College of Business Executive MBA program challenges students to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world experience by collaborating with nonprofit organizations across Michigan to address pressing needs. Although working their way through an intense 20-month cohort program, and busy with families and careers of their own, these students have shown that they are more than up for this challenge.

Cheri DeClercq, assistant dean for the MBA and Professional Masters Programs, developed and organized the Social Impact Project course near the end of 2013 as a way for students to enhance their education by contributing to the community. "I wanted our students to have the opportunity to give back," said DeClercq. "They were given a lot and a lot should be expected." ... read more


Looking for Community Partners

Collaboration and partnership with communities are at the core of engaged scholarship. In all of its work, University Outreach and Engagement emphasizes university-community partnerships that are collaborative, participatory, empowering, systemic, transformative, and anchored in scholarship. If you are a faculty or academic staff member wanting to establish a community partnership, University Outreach and Engagement may be able to help you. Our staff and researchers have connections across the state in areas such as education, mental health, human services, business, and government. For more information, contact Burton Bargerstock, Executive Director of the Office for Public Engagement and Scholarship, at (517) 353-8977 or bb@msu.edu.


Feedback

We would like to hear from you. Contact us with comments, suggestions, announcements, or "engaged scholar" project information for future e-newsletters. Send to: engaged.scholar@msu.edu.

Resources

MSU Graduate Certification in Community Engagement
This program prepares graduate students for careers that integrate scholarship with community engagement. It offers students a transcript notation indicating that they have completed the program.

Community Engagement Toolkits
Designed by the Center for Community Engaged Learning to guide and support MSU faculty, students, staff, and community partners.

Transformations in Higher Education: The Scholarship of Engagement Series
Available from Michigan State University Press

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