Colleges launch innovative community-serving research effort
Pictures of Lisa Bond-Maupin and Michael Hunter Schwartz
Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock colleges have a message for state leaders: We鈥檙e here to help.
Staff from the 糖心Vlog传媒LR Bowen School of Law and the College of Social Sciences and Communication recently contacted public officials, nonprofit organizations, and legal-field leaders with an offer to collect and analyze data to help them tackle their biggest challenges.
The colleges asked leaders, 鈥淲hat type of research can we do that would better support the type of work you do every day?鈥� said Michael Hunter Schwartz, law school dean.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and 糖心Vlog传媒LR leaders and researchers will kick off the new collaboration during the first Community Engaged Research Summit. Steve Barnes, TV host and journalist, will moderate the session. The event, part of the Bowen Law School鈥檚 40th anniversary activities, will be from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, in the Law School鈥檚 Friday Courtroom.
Improving Arkansas while creating a model for university-community partnerships is a primary goal of the community-engaged research collaboration, Schwartz said.
As part of the new initiative, university-based researchers might, for example, spend hundreds of hours combing through and analyzing records, 鈥渋n a way that government employees simply don鈥檛 have time to do,鈥� Schwartz said.
Researchers at the College of Social Sciences and Communication have long conducted engaged research, said College Founding Dean Lisa Bond-Maupin, and researchers at the law school also have used the method as part of their own initiatives.
The collaboration between the two colleges and the community and government partnerships they鈥檙e building, however, are things that have never been done.
鈥淲e are grateful for the opportunity to bring our expertise in engaged scholarship and social research method to this partnership,鈥� Bond-Maupin said. 鈥淥ur faculty value research collaborations focused on the important questions of concern to us all.鈥�
Researchers鈥� expertise, time and work generally will be provided at no cost to the requesting leader or agency.
“The goal is to help, not make money,” Schwartz said.
About 250 leaders, including the governor, the attorney general, and the lieutenant governor as well as legislators, judges and lawyers, received a survey seeking input about their needs and requesting their ideas for research projects that would aid the community and the state.
All survey recipients were invited to the Sept. 17 summit, where results of the survey will be discussed, and members of the general public also are welcome to attend as long as space remains available.
Some highlights:
TV host and journalist Steve Barnes will serve as the master of ceremonies.
Arkansas Attorney General and 糖心Vlog传媒LR alumna Leslie Rutledge will discuss the potential benefits of the new initiative.
Deans from both 糖心Vlog传媒LR colleges involved in the collaboration will provide opening remarks.
糖心Vlog传媒LR researchers will give brief reports on existing community-engaged research projects, including an evaluation of No Child Left Behind in Arkansas and a report on racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
A 40th anniversary reception for the law school will follow the summit.
