About the
Center for Violence Prevention and Control

Violence has been defined as the intentional use of physical force against another person or oneself, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury or death. Both physical and emotional consequences are integral to the spectrum of violence that ranges from harassment to death; these consequences arise from inequities in power in the family and other interpersonal relationships, as well as in the workplace and various social settings.

Violence, identified as a major public health problem at the national level, has had a compelling effect also in Minnesota. The Center for Violence Prevention and Control, established in 1996 with initial funding from the Graduate School, University of Minnesota, was developed to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration in research and graduate education that can ultimately affect the prevention and control of violence. A multidisciplinary team from several disciplines and colleges and the community, at large, participate in this collaborative effort to achieve the following research and graduate education goals and objectives:

1. Involve identified individuals at the university, local community and state levels with relevant interests and expertise to contribute to collaborative efforts. This includes individuals from public health, epidemiology, law, psychology, sociology, social work, medicine, communications, public policy, human ecology, and education.

2. Utilize the comprehensive system that has been developed to identify needed violence-related research and programmatic efforts. During 1994-1995, a statewide needs assessment was conducted to identify violence prevention programmatic and research efforts. Overall, the results indicated that, among the 250 eligible programs, less than 10% were involved in formal data collection or analysis.

3. Continue to establish a research agenda for specific research and/or programmatic efforts that will serve as the basis for collaborative efforts. The Center has been involved in the facilitation of developing grant proposals by:

• conducting literature searches, and facilitating the development of relevant methodologies;
• arranging and coordinating meetings with collaborating faculty to establish and facilitate research agenda/opportunites.

4. Continue to facilitate the development of collaborative efforts among the participating faculty that can result in further funding from external sources. The Center has been facilitating the development of grant proposals by:

• identifying key sources of funding at both the state and national levels, and
• contacting relevant personnel to determine matching of priorities;
• meeting with relevant agencies to discuss funding opportunites.

 

5. Build on the efforts, completed to date, to develop enhanced opportunities for graduate education in violence prevention and control.