News and Notes

Chelsie Boodoo has received the Council of Graduate Students (COGS) Disciplinary Leadership Award. The award was created for individuals who demonstrate leadership in their respective disciplines at the local to international levels. Boodoo was one of five awardees chosen for 2020- 2021. She is the student digital content creator for the MSU Science Festival and is an MSU biomedical engineering doctoral student, founding president of MSU SciComm, and the host of The Sci-Files on Impact 89 FM. She is also an active community member around science communication and community engagement who was named a "Changemaker" by the State News and called an Emerging Leader in the City of East Lansing for creating two public science pieces for the community.

The American Council of Education Michigan Women's Network has honored professor of psychology Rebecca Campbell with its 2020 Distinguished Woman in Higher Education Leadership Award for her groundbreaking work outside the scope of her formal faculty responsibilities. The award honors Michigan women who have distinguished themselves by providing outstanding leadership to women in their institutions, in their profession, and in society at large. Campbell is well known for her research around sexual assault and violence against women and children and the effects of treatment by law enforcement and medical staff on victims' psychological and physiological well-being. She served as the lead researcher for the National Institute of Justice's Sexual Assault Kit Action Research Project, which helped Detroit develop evidence-based strategies for testing 11,000 unprocessed rape kits.

Renee Brown, director of the Center for Community Engaged Learning, has received a Community Engagement Professionals Servant Leadership Award from Campus Compact for Michigan. The award honors the contributions of community engagement professionals at Campus Compact for Michigan partner institutions. It acknowledges the critical work of empowering communities and securing community-based, co-educational environments to strengthen students' confidence, competence, and self-efficacy through modeling, influencing, and/or informing.

Jessica S. Saucedo, a graduate student in ecological/community psychology, received first place for her oral presentation at the MSU Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Student Success Conference. AGEP provides programming and fellowship awards to increase the pool of candidates pursuing master's or doctoral degrees from underrepresented backgrounds.

University Outreach and Engagement is the new home of the Office of College Access Initiatives, a set of pre-college programs designed to assist low-income and first-generation students to graduate high school and enter post-secondary education. The programs—Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, GEAR UP, and the King-Chávez-Parks Initiative—were formerly housed in the Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education. We welcome Stephanie Anthony, director, Paolo Gordillo, associate director, and all their staff to UOE.

Kathleen Smith has joined UOE as its fiscal and human resources officer. She has worked at MSU for over 30 years and is active on the MI-ACE Women of Color Committee and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program in Lansing. She holds a master's degree in administration from Central Michigan University.

Lynne J. Devereaux, operations manager for University Outreach and Engagement, is retiring in June 2021. Her duties at UOE have included budget, personnel, and facilities management. She was also a member of several University committees. Devereaux worked at MSU for over 35 years.

Hiram E. Fitzgerald, University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology and former Associate Provost for University Outreach and Engagement, retired in June 2020. Dr. Fitzgerald's tireless dedication to community-engaged scholarship advanced the University's reputation as a national and international leader in the scholarship of engagement.

JoDee K. Fortino, laboratory manager for Usability/Accessibility Research and Consulting and administrative assistant with the Office of the Associate Provost for University Outreach and Engagement, is retiring in June 2021.

Carla J. Hills, communications manager for University Outreach and Engagement, retired in March 2021. Hills served as the UOE media contact for press inquiries and was her unit's liaison to University Communications.

John H. Schweitzer, professor with the Center for Community and Economic Development and adjunct professor in the School of Planning, Design, and Construction, is retiring in May 2021. Over a long career, Dr. Schweitzer has used his knowledge of the social science research process to study the impact and effectiveness of educational and social programs and policies.