Message from the Interim Associate Provost

Laurie Van Egeren, Interim Associate Provost for University Outreach and Engagement

Dear Engaged Spartans and our partners in Michigan and around the world,

One of the great privileges of the Office of University Outreach and Engagement is recognizing and awarding the exceptional engaged work of our faculty, staff, students, and community partners. Our annual celebration of their accomplishments declares how deeply MSU values their commitment to meaningful collaborations that reflect both scholarly integrity and real-world impact.

Each partnership we celebrate highlights diverse expressions of experience and knowledge, enacted in ethical and equitable ways to address challenging issues locally and around the world.

On February 24, UOE honored several exceptional partnerships and community-engaged contributors at the 2021 University Outreach and Engagement Awards Ceremony. Awards conferred included:

• The Distinguished Partnership Awards for Community Engaged Research, Community-Engaged Creative Activity, Community-Engaged Teaching, and Community-Engaged Service.
• The Spartan Volunteer Service Award presented to MSU students who participated in 100 or more hours of community-engaged learning or volunteering during the year.
• The Graduate Student Award for Community Engagement Scholarship presented to a graduate or graduate professional student for outstanding community-engaged scholarship in the areas of community-engaged research, creative activity, teaching, or service.

Some of the partnerships represented by these awards are longstanding collaborations, and 2020 has undoubtedly presented unforeseen challenges. Perhaps, then, the perseverance, flexibility, and commitment to engagement that these awards represent this year is even more poignant than in a typical year.

We are deeply inspired by the recipients of these awards—our faculty, staff, and students and their community partners—who, together, are doing great things in difficult times to build healthy, diverse, and strong communities.

Please join me in one of the most joyous times of the year by congratulating the 2021 Outreach and Engagement award recipients!