The Resource Center for Community Engaged Scholarship (ReCCES) was established in response to the Chancellor’s Task Force on Community-Engaged Scholarship (CES). Within our first year at UCM, we created nearly two dozen CES projects that engage UCM faculty, students, and a variety of community organizations. ReCCES aims to support CES on campus by continuing to build an infrastructure for the practice.
ReCCES links UC Merced to the local region by initiating community-university research collaborations & contributing to the national dialogue on CES.
It can also be referred to as “community engaged research”. By “scholarship” we emphasizs the products of research (publications, grants, policy papers, conference presentations) that are important measures for academic success. We want faculty to recognize that community engaged research is a vehicle for faculty career success.
Community engaged research must serve the interests of the community and the academic researchers involved. Traditionally academic researchers benefit from research that involves communities, while in the process community interests may not be met. Academic researchers can ask community stakeholders if proposed research is of interest and value ... or they can formulate a research project based on community interest and need. Academic researchers can be intentional about sharing the results of research with the community or public, i.e., with non-academic audiences.
We argue that research in any academic field can be community-engaged. Community-engaged research still uses traditional research methods, theories, and tools. What is different is that community stakeholders are involved early on, and in that process, the “relevance, rigor, and reach” (Balazs & Morello-Frosch 2013) of research is strengthened.
Whether you are on the academic side or community side of potential research collaborations, contact ReCCES and we’ll explore current and/or future opportunities to learn more about the best practices of community engaged research. Our website lists resources such as key literature that can strengthen your foundational knowledge.
ReCCES partners with UC Merced’s Community Engagement Center to help connect you to potential campus or community partners. There are ongoing efforts on campus to strengthen the infrastructure to foster more research collaborations.
We want to know about community-engaged research that is happening and will gladly assist you to showcase your projects. From an annual UCM Research Week reception to campus symposia that highlights best practices, we organize opportunities to recognize community engaged research.
