Celebrating public engagement
(4/15/2008) The University of Minnesota will host its second annual Public Engagement Day April 22 on the Twin Cities campus. A number of changes have been made since the inaugural event. For example the addition of Public Engagement days at the University's other campuses; upcoming are Duluth, April 16 and Crookston, April 17.

Recognizing those who change the world, one award at a time
(2/26/2008) For more than 10 years, the U has recognized faculty, staff, and students who have devoted their time and talent to making enduring contributions to the community. This year, nominations for the Outstanding Community Service Awards are due March 14.

Reality psych
(12/3/2007) A UMD professor transformed a class for undergraduates, beginning with a simple call to Duluth branch of Head Start.

Seeds of change
(10/30/2007) Office of Public Engagement seed grants are changing the U. Two examples of projects funded in 2006-07 seek to use new technology to ease the transition to college for low-income students and increase professional development opportunities in the nonprofit sector.

From the grapes to the glass
(10/22/2007) A century of grape breeding and public engagement is helping to develop a new Minnesota crop and related industries--grape growing, wine making, and agritourism.

The research give-and-take
(9/17/2007) Community-based research has become a hot topic in the past decade, and the U is rising to meet its unique challenges.

Children's mental health leader is back to campus
(9/4/2007) New CECMH director Joel Hetler aims to shorten the time from research to practice, giving faster relief to children and families.

Sounding good
(5/30/2007) Dedication to preserving the Ojibwe language has made U student Amber Ruel the state finalist for the national Campus Compact's Frank Newman Leadership Award. She has a chance to win $5,000 and national recognition for her work in Minnesota to prevent the extinction of Ojibwe language.

Energy givers
(4/24/2007) Brenda Reeves, Twin Cities, and Barbara Elliott, UMD, are two of five Outstanding Community Service Award winners--U community members who are making a lasting difference in the greater community.

Engagement party
(4/2/2007) The U's first Public Engagement Day will celebrate U-community partnerships.

Two-way street
(3/26/2007) A statewide series on children's mental health is exchanging knowledge from research and practice. As interest grows, it's also showing how technology makes the room for discussion a lot bigger.

Mentor for mentors
(3/5/2007) The U of M-Crookston's Mentoring and Caring program matches college students as mentors to children in the community, providing role models and expanded horizons for the children, new skills and meaningful experiences for UMC students, and long-term benefits for the community.

Growing up healthy
(2/19/2007) Children across Minnesota will be growing up healthier due to a major initiative that focuses on community and environmental health. Communities are collaborating with U faculty in several of the 13 projects that received planning grants.

A national leader in community engagement
(1/29/2007) The Twin Cities campus is one of 76 institutions to be recognized for its community engagement efforts as one of the first in a national system of classifying colleges and universities.

Apprentice to civic engagement
(1/15/2007) A UMD marketing professor put principles from a popular TV show to work in his class. Now students can compete to create marketing campaigns for non-profits and on public issues like meth awareness.

Peacemaking in the time of hostility
(12/12/2006) In 1994, professor Mark Umbreit founded the Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking, the first such center in the United States. In 2005, he established the Muslim Restorative Justice Outreach project.

Partnering with small towns
(11/28/2006) UMM's Center for Small Towns partners with Minnesota's rural communities on revitalization projects.

DWI Task Force implements change beyond the University
(11/7/2006) Minnesota's DWI legal process, including blood-alcohol testing results and vehicle plate impoundment, has undergone a number of changes thanks to Law School professor Steve Simon.

Mapping the way to food security
(10/24/2006) Department of Rhetoric associate professor Bernadette Longo is tackling the social justice issue of food security and its health implications in the Northside community of Minneapolis, an example of the University's public engagement.

Stories that need telling
(10/10/2006) Scribes for Human Rights, a partnership between the University of Minnesota's programs in human rights and creative writing, allows graduate students to delve deeper into critical issues and share their writing with the public.

ACT/SAT prep course helps students bridge the achievement gap
(9/25/2006) For 11 Saturdays each winter, high school students come to the U for a free ACT/SAT review course that includes information about college admissions and personal college experiences from volunteer students, staff, and faculty. Ernest Davenport, an educational psychology faculty member, has a passion for public engagement that is a key to the program's success.