Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement

Rethinking the Field in Crisis: The Baltimore Field School and Building Ethical Community and University Partnerships

Nicole King, Tahira Mahdi, Sarah Fouts — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This Projects With Promise case study offers insights for addressing tensions between universities and communities in building partnerships and collectively rethinking “the field” of community engagement. We explore moving beyond a solely place-based understanding of “the field” into an ethos based on human interactions and mutual trust. Through an analysis of the Baltimore Field School (BFS) project, we argue that partnerships must be designed to create the time and space for self-reflexive qualitative methods that emerge from a personality-proof and sustainable infrastructure that can respond to crises and needs in both communities and universities. Rethinking and even “undoing” notions of institutional time and space within universities allows community-centered reflection that begins to cross the boundaries imposed by neoliberal institutions focused on profits above people. Exploring the distinct scholarly communities of higher education can inspire academics to rethink how universities can work with and not just for local communities.

Translational Research Approaches in Land-Grant Institutions: A Case Study of the REDI Movement

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In this case study we explore the concept of translational research: specifically, how common tools were employed in the context of the translational research process to design and implement a formal intervention to address racism at the individual and structural level. This approach to translational research focuses on the implementation of evidence-based interventions to address issues in communities, schools, and other organizations and is ideally suited to support researchers and practitioners in the nation’s land-grant institutions. We discuss the suitability of translational research as an approach to identifying and resolving issues and implications for training and day-to-day operations of translational research organizations. Finally, we point to the necessity of incorporating principles of equity and engagement in the translational research process.

Refugee-Background Youth Workers as Agents of Social Change: Building Bridging Relationships One Story at a Time

Laura M. Kennedy, Lindsay McHolme, Carrie Symons — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In the context of an established research–practice partnership with the Hope Resource Center, we piloted The Stories Project, a narrative inquiry study alongside refugee-background youth workers and U.S.- born community members. Our inquiry explored the process by which storytelling could be used to humanize and advocate for refugee-background youth in the United States. Data sources included interviews, dialogue session recordings, participant artifacts, and researcher memos. Findings centered the voices of refugee-background youth workers as they honored each other’s unique perspectives and life experiences as well as recognized each other’s shared humanity. Collectively, the youth workers identified the importance of being vulnerable, humanizing the refugee experience, and building advocacy as ways to promote social change.

The Power of Promotores: Enhancing the Ability of Medical Students to Provide for and Communicate With Underserved Populations

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

To increase community health knowledge, the El Paso Health Education and Awareness Team (EP-HEAT) was established at Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. The Medical Student Run Clinic (MSRC) emphasizes community health care access. Promotores de salud (community health workers) increase health care awareness and connect predominantly underserved communities with resources. Surveys were conducted to determine how EP-HEAT and MSRC patients’ communication with promotores affected their access to health care and communication skills. Surveys demonstrated that 91% of EP-HEAT members agreed that working with promotores improved their communication ability. All MSRC patients surveyed stated interacting with promotores helped improve health care communication in various ways.

A Process for Asset Mapping to Develop a Blue Economy Corridor

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Through a multistakeholder partnership, this research aims to catalyze the development of a blue economy corridor (BEC) through community-based asset mapping in the eastern portion of the Tar-Pamlico River Basin in North Carolina, a geographic area predominated by physically and culturally rural landscapes. Underpinned by appreciative inquiry, this project aims to counter a deficit model of community development in this portion of eastern North Carolina by increasing awareness of quality of life assets that communities currently possess and may leverage for sustainable economic, environmental, and social development through their inclusion in a digital interactive map freely available to the public.

Native Nations and Land-Grant Universities at the Crossroads: The Intersection of Settler Land Acknowledgments and the Outreach and Engagement Mission

Theresa Jean Ambo, Stephen M. Gavazzi — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This reflective essay addresses the nexus of two recent events in the United States: (1) the public scrutiny of the relationship between land-grant universities and the expropriation of Indigenous lands and (2) the often uncritical and rapid uptake of settler land acknowledgments at public college and university events. We argue that written land acknowledgment statements need to accompany actions that align with declarations of respect and honor. Specifically, we offer readers three concrete ideas through which institutions may further land acknowledgments: challenging their historical legacies, fostering meaningful partnerships with Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples, and materializing resources for this highly underserved, long-neglected, often ignored community.

Amplifying Community Partner Voices in Rural Community Service-Learning Partnerships

Lauren R. Paulson, Caitlyn Davis — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This mixed-methods study delves into rural community service-learning (CSL) partnerships, shedding light on the complexities and dynamics of collaboration between colleges and rural communities. Through quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, the research amplifies the voices of rural community partners, emphasizing the crucial role of trust, communication, and reciprocity. Challenges such as staff demands and organizational mismatches underscore the need for rural institutions to better prepare students and allocate resources to support their community partners effectively. The study advocates for transformative CSL approaches that prioritize community needs and nurture long-lasting collaborations. By providing insights into the impact of CSL on rural partners and organizations, this research offers valuable recommendations for improving future practices and fostering meaningful engagement in both rural and urban settings.

Counting on Higher Education: Teaching and Assessing Knowledge and Participation in the 2020 Census

Carah Ong Whaley, Dena Pastor, Abraham Goldberg — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Mandated under Article 1, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, the decennial census determines the distribution of power and resources based upon population counts. College students are a hard-to-count population with limited knowledge about why the census matters and how to complete it. Politics and the global health pandemic made the 2020 Census exceptionally challenging. A university’s center for civic engagement and students in a political science class collaborated with local, state, and national partners to develop and implement a campuswide 2020 Census Education and Engagement Program. Assessments of 2020 Census knowledge were administered to almost 2,000 students on a required university-wide Assessment Day. Subsequent data collection indicated knowledge about the 2020 Census is malleable, as evidenced by sizable gains over time as well as a positive relationship between census completion and participation in the 2020 Census Education and Engagement Program.

Academic Community-Engaged Learning and Student Mental Health and Wellness: Understanding The Lived Experiences of Undergraduate Students

Stephanie J. Brewer — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The purpose of this study was to illuminate the experiences of undergraduate students who participated in academic community-engaged learning, specifically as those experiences related to student mental health and wellness. The data for this qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was collected through semistructured interviews with seven undergraduate students. Analysis resulted in the identification of essential components of the student community-engaged learning experience as it relates to students’ mental health and wellness and included three main themes: Identity (Head), Belonging (Heart), and Agency (Hands). The implications of these findings are many, including pedagogical considerations for community-engaged classrooms and campuswide considerations for the inclusion of high-impact practices, as well as community partner implications. Ultimately, the findings of this study will lead to a better informed, nuanced, macrolevel strategy that higher education institutions can use to impact the state of student mental health and wellness broadly.

28(1) Editorial Board

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

28(1) Editorial Board

28(1) Table of Contents

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

28(1) Table of Contents

28(1) Note from the Editor

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

28(1) Note from the Editor

28(1) Entire Issue

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

28(1) Entire Issue