Volume 15 - Issue 2 - Home Page

May 2023 | Volume 15, Issue 2

Message from the Associate Provost

Kwesi Brookins, Associate Provost for University Outreach and Engagement

Celebrating Our Scholars

As we emerge from another Michigan winter, signs of spring abound on campus—colorful flowers dot the landscape and magnolia trees are in full bloom. It is also a time to celebrate our graduates as they prepare to use the skills and knowledge they have gained here to contribute to their communities in Michigan, across the United States, and around the globe.

It has been a thrill to become part of that enterprise here at Michigan State University as associate provost for University Outreach and Engagement (UOE). Since joining UOE in January, I have seen firsthand the depth and breadth of university-community partnerships that drew me back to MSU.

I say "back" because I am a returning Spartan. I earned my doctorate in ecological/community psychology and Master of Arts in psychology from MSU. More recently, I served as vice provost for University Outreach and Engagement and director of the Center for Family and Community Engagement at North Carolina State University ... Read more

Featured MSU Engaged Scholars

Latimore helps volunteers with the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program identify plants and differentiate between native and invasive species.

Equipping 'Citizen Scientists' to Protect the Lakes and Streams They Love

  • Jo Latimore, Ph.D.
  • Senior Specialist, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
  • Director, Michigan Clean Water Corps
  • College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

As an MSU aquatic ecologist, Jo Latimore visits hundreds of lakes and streams each year.

But the one closest to the heart is a tiny inland lake nestled among bogs and wetlands near a cabin that's been in her family for generations. She vividly recalls days spent lounging on the dock catching baby turtles and bluegills with her dad. "It's just so quiet and so beautiful," Latimore said.

Hers is a love shared by many Michiganders who visit the state's 11,000 lakes and 36,000 miles of streams...

READ MORE

NCHATS consortium partner panel

Addressing Suicide Prevention Among a High-Risk Population

  • Jennifer Johnson, Ph.D.
  • C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health
  • Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology
  • College of Human Medicine

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, with one suicide reported every 11 minutes. As with other serious public health challenges, suicide does not discriminate, and people of all genders, ages, and ethnicities can be at risk. However, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), certain identifiers can determine populations at an increased risk.

Among the groups with a higher risk: Individuals coming into contact with the criminal legal system...

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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