By: Tripp Vistica
Oct. 12, 2020
The University of Memphis (UofM) was named the winner of the APLU Community Engagement Scholarship Award for the Southern Region on October 6 for their University of Memphis Institute of Interdisciplinary Memphis Partnerships to Advance Community Transformation (iIMPACT) project. However, the UofM is not done with their work, because they are now one of four finalists to win the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award which the winner will be announced in November.
The UofM’s competition for the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award includes the Ohio State University (OSU) for their Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports Initiative, the University of Utah (Utah) for their University Neighborhood Partners project, and the University of Vermont (UVM) with their Connecting Cultures Initiative.
This is the first time the UofM has won the APLU Community Engagement Scholarship Award, and the University’s first chance to win the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award which will not be easy with a school like the Ohio State University as their competition.
The C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award has been awarded to a university every year since 2007. OSU has had a lot of celebrated history with this award, and this will be the fourth time that OSU has won the APLU Community Engagement Scholarship Award in the North Central Region. OSU will also be competing to win their second C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award after winning the award in 2013.
Despite OSU’s history in competing for the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award, Utah and UVM are competing for the award for the first time in their school’s history. Exactly like the UofM, this is the first time Utah won the Western Region, as well as the first time UVM won the Northeast Region. However, this is a good thing for the UofM, because there have only been two universities to win the award twice. Virginia Tech University won the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award in 2007 and 2018, along with East Carolina University in 2012 and 2016. Therefore, the odds are in favor of the UofM, Utah and UVM to win the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award over OSU.
The UofM won the APLU Community Engagement Scholarship Award for the Southern Region with their work on The University of Memphis Institute of Interdisciplinary Memphis Partnerships to Advance Community Transformation (iIMPACT) project with leadership from Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal, UofM Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation.
The UofM’s iIMPACT project addresses issues of childhood trauma, improve
families’ access to supportive services, and build a culture of health in Memphis. The UofM has worked with the community partners on the iIMPACT project, where they have made use of the UofM’s research capacity, students’ desire for applied experiences, and the guidance and support of community leaders.
iIMPACT developed a set of programs and services that address a wide range of health and socioeconomic issues facing local families, including childhood asthma, autism spectrum disorder, adverse childhood experiences, child social-emotional development, and connectedness to services and resources. iIMPACT’s successes have been shared in academic journals, conferences, news media, and through the ACEs Symposium. Most importantly, iIMPACT’s students have gained valuable insights about conducting applied community research, as well as about the needs and strengths of our local community.
The UofM had many partners involved with their iIMPACT project, some more well-known than others. The UofM’s partners for iIMPACT are Agape Child & Family Services, Child Advocacy Center, Family Safety Center, Goodwill Homes, Knowledge Quest, LeBonheur Children’s Hospital, Porter-Leath, Shelby County School District, Shelby County Health Department, Shelby County Community Services, Union Grove Baptist Church, Assisi Foundation, United Way of the Mid-South, and Urban Child Institute. Together with the UofM, these organizations have worked to address the needs of families with young children and connect them to community resources.
It’s an honor and great accomplishment for the UofM to win the APLU Community Engagement Scholarship Award for the first time, but it would be an even greater accomplishment to beat out OSU, Utah and UVM to win the UofM’s first C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award. Winning the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award would put the UofM in even more elite company than they are already in after winning the APLU Community Engagement Scholarship Award.
Tripp Vistica 