2023 President's Engaged Scholarship Awards

The Offices of the President, Provost, and Associate Vice Provost for Outreach and Engagement are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 President's Engaged Scholarship Awards. These awards recognize Texas Tech faculty for an exemplary and sustainable engaged scholarship project or activity that addresses an important community need and/or discovers solutions to larger societal issues based on mutually beneficial partnerships with communities. The winning project/activity shows evidence of significant impact on communities/society, as well as teaching and learning, research and creative activity, and scholarship. It carries a monetary prize of $2,000.

This year,  Outreach and Engagement recognized a total of four projects with the President's Excellence in Engaged Scholarship Award in the following categories:

• Excellence in Engaged Service 
• Excellence in Engaged Teaching 
• Excellence in Engaged Creative Activity
• Excellence in Engaged Research

The following are descriptions of each winning project: 

 

"Reducing Mental Health Concerns in Family Members with Dementia in Lubbock and Rural Texas"

Excellence in Engaged Service

Recent estimates suggest that Lubbock County could have over 5,000 individuals that are suffering from some sort of dementia, and most of the patients have at least one informal caregiver (e.g., spouse; sibling) who is responsible for their care. Informal caregivers face significant increases in stress and decreases of resources thus leading to an increase in mental health concerns such as depression and generalized anxiety. Dr Singer along with graduate and undergraduate psychology students work collaboratively with the Garrison Institute of Aging to provide mental health services for informal caregivers.

TTU Faculty Leader: 

Dr. Jonathan Singer, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Psychological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

Community Partners: 

Garrison Institute of Aging

 

"South Plains Clothing Design Challenge"

Excellence in Engaged Teaching

South Plains Clothing Challenge (SPCDC) is a service-learning project that provides custom-designed outfits for foster children living in the Children's Home of Lubbock. TTU apparel Design and Manufacturing students in their third and fourth years work collaboratively with their respective child to determine clothing preferences, preferred functionality of the garment, and any limitations related to design materials. The SPCDC has several goals, one of which is to alleviate the impact of poverty on children living in a group home and create pathways out of poverty through exposure to new information and a potential career path.

TTU Faculty Leader: 

Ashley Rougeaux-Burnes, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Design, College of Human Sciences

Community Partners: 

Children's Home of Lubbock

 

"Social Engagement as Care: The Animation-Making Workshops (AMW) at TTU"

Excellence in Engaged Creative Activity

Since 2019, the Animation-Making Workshops (AMW), part of the J.T & Margaret Talkington College of Visual and Performing Arts' Texas Tech NEA Research Lab, services under-or-misrepresented community groups in the context of a research project that seeks to assess the affordances of the animation making process as educational and therapeutic tool. AMW takes advantage of the experiences developed by socially engaged animation practitioners, and benefits from established methodologies used in the areas of Art Therapy, Digital Storytelling, and Filmmaking as Psychotherapy. This session will expound on the a case study that was organized in partnership with the Office of Dispute Resolutions of Lubbock County/Juvenile Justice Youth and Center for Collegiate Recovery Communities.

TTU Faculty Leaders: 

Dr. Jorgelina Orfila, Associate Professor, School of Art, J.T & Margaret Talkington College of Visual and Performing Arts

Dr. Francisco Ortega, Associate Professor, School of Art, J.T & Margaret Talkington College of Visual and Performing Arts

Community Partners: 

Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research

Bean Elementary School

Parkway Sommerville/ Guadalupe Center

The Office of Dispute Resolutions of Lubbock County/Juvenile Justice Youth

Lubbock Arts Alliance

The TTU Center for Collegiate Recovery Communities

 

"The Importance of Community Engaged Scholarship and Research to Address Ongoing Vietnam War Legacies"

Excellence in Engaged Research

The Institute for Peace & Conflict (IPAC) is dedicated to promoting understanding of the American experience at war, diplomacy, peace, and the impact of postwar legacy issues and how they affect reconciliation and healing from war for all participants and nations. Together, IPAC/VNSA have successfully leveraged their engaged scholarship and research to develop programs that address several important community and societal needs regarding legacies of the Vietnam War, especially the international humanitarian effort to find soldiers still missing from the war.

TTU Faculty Leaders: 

Dr. Ron Milam, Associate Professor of History and Executive Director for the Institute of Peace & Conflict, College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Stephen Maxner, Director, Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive

Dr. Uyen "Carie" Nguyen, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Research Partner Fellow, Institute of Peace & Conflict

Dr. Alex-Thai D. Vo, Research Assistant Professor, Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive

Mike Dutill, Head of Information Technology, VNCA

Community Partners: 

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Ministry of National Defense, Vietnam

U.S. Vietnam Veterans and Families

Vietnamese War Veterans and Vietnamese American Families in the U.S.

Vietnamese War Veterans and Families in Vietnam

 

PRESIDENT'S EMERGING ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

The President's Emerging Engaged Scholarship Award recognizes TTU faculty for a relatively new project or initiative that demonstrates high potential for the advancement of engaged scholarship. The project or initiative shows outstanding promise for having a significant impact on communities and the university. It carries a monetary prize of $1,000.

This year, Outreach and Engagement recognized two projects with the President's Emerging Engaged Scholarship Award.  

 

"Let My People Go: The Old Canaan Cemetery Bioarchaeology Project"

The Old Canaan Cemetery Bioarchaeology project is a community engaged archaeological field project in partnerships with the living members of the New Canaan Missionary Baptist Church community in Marshall, Tx. Drs. Anna Novotny and Tamra Walter, are working collaboratively with church deacons and church members to document the church cemetery, including size, number of graves, establish the biological profiles of those buried there as well as creating a better infrastructure to visit and maintain the cemetery. TTU researchers hope to create an archaeological protocol that can be replicated at other endangered historic cemeteries.

TTU Faculty Leaders: 

Dr. Anna Novotny, Associate Professor, Dept. of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, College of Arts and Sciences 

Dr. Tamra Walter, Associate Professor, Dept. of Sociology Anthropology, and Social Work, College of Arts and Sciences 

Community Partners: 

New Canaan Missionary Baptist Church

 

"Supporting Animals and Veterans through Enrichment (SAVE)"

An increasing number of US military veterans are accessing education benefits, but the stress of reintegration compounded with any existing post-traumatic stress can significantly impact their health and wellness. The aim of this project is to develop a program where student veterans can come and interact with and socialize shelter dogs on a routine basis. The project involves brief interactions between student veterans and shelter dogs to explore if student veterans' report an improvement in mood states post-interaction and if shelter dogs display reduced behavioral indicators of stress during the interaction compared to in shelter assessments. This project involves partnerships with the TTU Military and Veterans Program, TTUHSC Veterans Resource Center, and the Lubbock Animal Shelter and Adoption Center. SAVE was launched in Spring of 2022 and finished data collection in January 2023. The results of this exploratory project will be used to inform future intervention research aimed towards developing a standardized program to concurrently support veteran and shelter dog well-being within the Lubbock community. 

TTU Faculty Leaders: 

Dr. Anastasia Stellato, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Animal and Food Sciences, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources

Dr. Katy Schroeder (adjunct faculty), Assistant Professor, Dept. of Counselor Education, University of Iowa

Gracie Guerra, Director, TTU Military and Veterans Programs

Matt Knight, Unit Manager, TTU Milirary and Veterans Programs

Sara Henly, Director, TTUHSC Veterans Resource Center

Community Partners: 

Lubbock Animal Shelter and Adoption Center

 

President's Exemplary Program Award

The President's Exemplary Program Award recognizes TTU faculty for projects demonstrating outstanding academic engagement and commitment to addressing a community need or larger social issue. The award recognizes the program's impacts on both the community and the university (faculty, staff, or students).

This year, Outreach and Engagement recognized two projects with the President's Exemplary Program Award.

 

"The R.E.Y.N.A (Reducing Encounters with Youth through Neighborhood Alliances) Project, with the Lubbock Police Department"

Dr. Pusch and Anish Quenim established a partnership with the Lubbock Police Department Community Engagement Unit (LPDCEU) and proposed R.E.Y.N.A. as a possible intervention project. With faculty, students, LPD, and Community working in unison, Dr. Pusch and Anish hope to establish measure to predict, intervene and positively influence community youth who are at risk of first-time arrest and re-arrest. In this session, the presenters will discuss the following topics: Assessing juvenile delinquency in Lubbock, Evidence -based crisis negotiations for community crisis intervention, Interdisciplinary partnerships for community success, asset-based community development, and going beyond the classroom with student community engagement for academic success.

TTU Faculty Leaders: 

Dr. Natasha Pusch, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Adam Schmidt, Associate Professor, Dept. of Psychological Science, College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Trent Seltzer, Associate Professor, Public Relations and Strategic Communication Management, College of Media and Communication

Dr. Andrea Button-Schnick, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, College of Arts and Sciences 

Community Partners:

Lubbock Police Department Community Engagement Unit

 

"Raider Cre8tive Advertising Student Agency Keeps Families Close"

Cindie Buckle, an advertising and brand strategy lecturer in the College of Media & Communication, and her students in the Raider Cre8tive Student Advertising Agency developed a partnership with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Southwest (RMHCSW) where they plan, execute, and evaluate campaigns for nonprofit fundraising events to benefit RMHCSW. Since this collaboration began in 2020, students have raised $15,000 in donations from local businesses. The active learning method of teaching advertising campaigns provides TTU students the opportunity to apply learned skills and engage in real world opportunities.

 

TTU Faculty Leader:

Cyndie Buckle, Lecturer, Dept. of Advertising, College of Media and Communication

Community Partners: 

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Southwest