UC Works to Recognize Faculty For Community Engagement

The

UC College of Allied Health Sciences

is one of 10 schools named to participate in a large health collaborative to address the review, promotion and tenure (RPT) concerns of faculty heavily involved in community-engaged scholarship.

“UC has many wonderful community-based programs and initiatives and its new academic plan, UC|21, names community engagement as one of its primary goals,” says Elizabeth King, PhD, dean of the UC College of Allied Health Sciences. “Seeking better ways to recognize this type of scholarship will go a long way toward increasing the number of faculty who choose to work and do research in their communities.”

Funded by a three-year $563,842 grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), the Community-Engaged Scholarship for Health Collaborative is comprised of a diverse group of health professional schools that seek to recognize and reward faculty for community engagement.  

Dr. King cites many in the College of Allied Health Sciences alone who are already using their expertise in the community.

“Our faculty are doing everything from educating high school students about nutrition, to teaching and caring for students at a public high school-based audiology clinic,” she says. “This type of work should not go unrecognized.”

Cindy Goody, PhD, RD, LD, assistant professor of nutrition, leads two courses in which she takes her students to Western Hills University High School to educate about nutrition.

“We provide information on everything from the importance of eating breakfast, to sports nutrition, to protein, fat and water consumption,” says Dr. Goody. “This type of interaction is mutually beneficial because it allows people with shared values to come together to improve the well-being of all.”

In addition to UC’s College of Allied Health Sciences, schools participating in the collaborative include Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy, Case Western Reserve University School of Nursing, Indiana University School of Dentistry, Loma Linda University School of Public Health, University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, University of Massachusetts Worcester School of Nursing, University of Minnesota Academic Health Center, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

FIPSE is part of the Office of Policy Planning and Innovation, and is contained within the Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education. Established by the Higher Education Amendments of 1972, FIPSE’s mandate is to improve postsecondary educational opportunities across a broad range of concerns.

The Community-Engaged Scholarship for Health Collaborative is part of Community-Campus Partnerships for Health. Additional information on the project can be found at

www.ccph.info

.