Texas Tech Faculty Fellows Mentoring Program in Engaged Scholarship
On August 16th, the inaugural cohort of TTU's newly launched Engaged Scholarship Faculty Fellows Mentoring Program went on a community bus tour together with some of their faculty mentors as well as staff from the Office of Outreach and Engagement. The goal of the tour was to expose the group to non-profit and government organizations in the Lubbock area and open channels of communications for potential community partnerships. Tour stops included the following organizations: Parkway Sommerville,YWCA, South Plains Association of Governments (SPAG), and the South Plains Food Bank
The purpose of the new Fellows Program is to foster the development of Engaged Scholarship among junior and tenure-track faculty, who wish to integrate community engagement into their teaching, research, and/or creative activities. During the fellowship, fellows will develop their scholarly engagement portfolio under the mentorship of seasoned engaged TTU faculty members. Fellows will be guided through the process of building a mutually beneficial community partnership and developing a project in response to an expressed community need. The 2023-24 Fellows cohort includes:
Toby Brooks, TTUHSC School of Health Professions; Jennifer Hamrick, TTU College of Education and Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research; Gizem Levent, TTU School of Veterinary Medicine; Muntazar Monsur, TTU Davis College of Agricultural Sciences; Mihwa Park, TTU College of Education; Jason Tham, TTU College of Arts and Sciences; Paulina Velez-Gomez, TTU College of Human Sciences;Shan Xu, TTU College of Media and Communication
August 16, 2023, Community Bus Tour
Introducing our 2023/2024 Faculty Fellows Mentors in Engaged Scholarship
Professor, Educational Psychology, Leadership, & Counseling (EPLC), TTU College of Education
Outreach and Engagement Community Advisory Board
In July of 2023 the Office of Outreach and Engagement hosted the first meeting of its newly formed Outreach and Engagement Community Advisory Board. The board is comprised of community leaders as well as faculty and staff members of Texas Tech University. Its members are providing the Office with insights and perspectives on existing needs in the Lubbock community and opportunities for mutually beneficial collaborations between the university and the community to help address these needs.
Current Members include: Adam Pirtle, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas; Allison Roberts, Workforce Solutions; Alycyn Keeling, The Wallace Theater; Ben Alexander, South Plains College; Carla Holland, Northwest Texas Small Business Development Center; Christine Wanjura, Lubbock & Amarillo Catholic Private Schools; Deshan Avery, Red Cross; George Love, LISD; Karl Ifhe, Broadway Church of Christ; Kelly Davilla, South Plains Association of Governments; Kristin Murray, Voice of Hope; Lala Chavez, LISD; Renee Davis, TTU Alumni Association; Wilson Bowling, City of Lubbock; Bryan Giemza, Ph.D., TTU Honor's College; Corey Powell, TTU Office of Access & Engagement; Eileen Gianiodis, TTU Office of the Provost; Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo, Ph.D., TTU International Affairs; Nancy Trevino, Ph.D., TTU Mental Health Initiative; Shirley Matteson, Ph.D., TTU Office of the Provost.
Outreach and Engagement Staff Spotlight
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) names Diana Wilkinson as new Director.
Diana Wilkinson has been selected as the Director for Texas Tech University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She will work with volunteers to design educational programs for adults ages 50 and older across the South Plains. She will also assist with other TTU OLLI sites at Abilene, Fredericksburg, Jefferson, and Highland Lakes/Marble Falls. For more information on OLLI and to look at the Fall 2023 catalog please visit our website.
The Office of Outreach and Engagement namesAnish Quenimas Lead Administrator.
Anish Quenim is the Lead Administrator for Outreach and Engagement at Texas Tech University, serving as a resource and point of contact for members of the campus and external community regarding campus outreach and engaged scholarship programs, resources, and internal and external partnership opportunities. Anish identifies community needs and facilitates partnerships between faculty/staff and community stakeholders (business/industry, nonprofit, K-12 schools, 2-year and 4-year institutions, government, and neighborhood groups). Anish's goal is to encourage and foster projects and activities that advance Texas Tech's strategic priority, “to transform lives and communities through strategic outreach and engaged scholarship.”
Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities in Engaged Scholarship!
Lynn Blanchard, Ph.D.
Lynn Blanchard, Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behaviorand Director of the Carolina Center for Public Service at the University of North Carolina, will conduct an Engaged Scholarship workshop on November 7, 2023 on the Texas Tech campus. Dr. Blanchard's expertise centers on research around public service, community partnerships, programmatic evaluation, and service learning. In her presentation, "Faculty Engaged Scholarship: Setting Standards and Building Conceptual Clarity," she will discuss the varied pathways to entering and conducting engaged scholarship, identify their common underlying principles and practices, and discuss their implications for faculty evaluation and P&T. The workshop is open to faculty, staff, and graduate students. Lunch is provided.
For more information and to register click the button below. This event is co-sponsored by the College of Human Sciences.
September 21- Getting Started in Engaged Scholarship: Defining Scope of Work, Needs Assessments and Active Listening
October 19 - Exemplary Projects and Best Practices in Engaged Scholarship This session is co-sponsored by the College of Human Sciences.
Lunch and Learn sessions take place from 12:00 until 1:00 p.m. in the TLPDC to provide informal learning and networking opportunities for any TTU faculty, staff, or graduate student interested in integrating community engagement into their work. Attendance is free of charge and lunch is provided.
Registration for Lunch and Learn sessions is through the TLPDC events site. Please click the button below and scroll down to the Sept. 21st and Oct.19th sessions
Texas is known as the home to many things, but over the next year it will lay claim to a rare set of events. There are two eclipses passing though Texas, one an annular eclipse Oct. 14, 2023, the other a total eclipse passing through April 8, 2024.
The annular eclipse will begin along the Pacific coast in Oregon and travel through Texas down to the Gulf Coast. The total eclipse will begin along the Southern Pacific coast and travel through Texas, ending along the Atlantic coast in Canada.
To learn more about the upcoming solar eclipses and their impact please visit our website below!
Outreach and Engagement strengthens Texas Tech's ability to achieve excellence in Outreach and Engaged Scholarship by serving as a Catalyst, Collaborator, and Connector.
