University-Community Partnerships (UCP) is a department of University Outreach and Engagement. Our mission is to expand and develop partnerships between the University and the communities of our state and nation. The goal of these partnerships is to increase, through scholarship, the capacity of faculty and communities to address a wide variety of important societal issues and to engage in community-based research and evaluation that benefit the public. To that end, we:

• Link faculty teams with community groups to work on issues of mutual interest
• Facilitate collaborative/multidisciplinary research opportunities for faculty and staff by developing networks of faculty and staff around key issues and in specific geographic areas
• Promote the development and use of strength- and evidence-based models and interventions to improve the capacity of those working on issues related to individuals, families, groups, neighborhoods, and communities
• Partner with faculty teams and community groups as active participants of research and evaluation projects
• Disseminate research and evaluation findings to the scholarly community
• Provide a range of services including program evaluation, training on asset development and outcome-based approaches, and organizational development.

Who Are UCP Staff?

UCP staff are a combination of experienced practitioners and researchers. They have extensive experience either working in or with local, state, and national organizations, and have established relationships in diverse areas such as government, mental health, K-12 education, human service, and so on. Over the years, UCP staff have also established relationships with MSU faculty across many disciplines.

View UCP staff profiles (including short bios and vita).