Ensuring+immediate+access+to+faculty+research+and+new+ideas

**Ensuring immediate access to faculty research and new ideas** Shirley Theriot, Director of the Center for Community Service Learning, University of Texas at Arlington [theriot@uta.edu] Rajat Mittal, Director - Electronic Research Administration, University of Texas at Arlington [rmittail@uta.edu] Jeremy Forsberg, Assistant Vice President for Research, University of Texas at Arlington [j.forsberg@uta.edu]



**Keywords:** Technology infrastructure, community awareness, marketing

**Track:** Theoretical or conceptual frameworks to advance research

**Format:** Poster presentation **Date & time:** Friday 3:20 - 4:30 **Location: **Salon 4/ Salon 9

**Summary:** In 2002, the National Governors Association and the Council on Competitiveness reported that community engagement and service learning are better served within a framework of (1) identifying those that engage in the community, their expertise, prior projects and service learning activities; (2) shared geographic proximity of individuals to the entities that supply or demand services; (3) speed the movement of engagement in a structure that can operate independently and organically; and (4) allowance for individuals and entities to freely interact and form partnerships at a local level. Reid and Schofield (2006) suggest that a mechanism for allowing individuals throughout the network of academia, community and industry to interact at will increases the opportunities for forming partnerships and solving problems together regardless of discipline, entity or region.

The addition of Community Engagement reporting to the UT Arlington Profile System will impact UTA and its surrounding community by offering immediate access to volunteer, service, and related research opportunities. As issues in the community arise, community partners may discover relevant faculty and civic engagement projects. Similarly, faculty can use it to identify potential faculty collaborators for greater success and impact of projects and collaborative research. This comprehensive technology infrastructure will advance stronger relationships and potentially advance social change in this North Texas community.

This technology infrastructure raises campus and community awareness of civic engagement activities, including formal implementation of service learning, research, student group activities, and extended centers. It simultaneously facilitates the transformability of expertise to address particular events and issues, equipment, research centers, and other resources. Finally, it serves as a marketing tool, raising the awareness of the university’s engagement with the community. Finally, our University’s goal of a major research or Tier I institution is advantaged by immediate communication of faculty research and movement of new ideas to the community.

**References:** The National Governors Association and the Council on Competitiveness. (2002). www.nga.org

Reid, P. & Schofield, M. (2006). Case study: A regional broker raises industry demand for university research. //Association of University Technology Managers//, //18//(1). 45-60.

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