The King's Connection Magazine Volume 24 // Number 1 | Page 7

FACULTY NEWS

Bringing students
out of the classroom
and into the community
A

new option for students will soon appear when King’s
  ppoints its first Community Engaged Research Director.
a
This faculty position was announced by the institution in
January after four years of visioning and developing the
programme. The position will facilitate students    rimarily
—p
in the social sciences    o conduct community research
—t
projects for local agencies. In addition to enhancing student
involvement, the new director will help consolidate the
variety of community engaged research work conducted
by faculty members DR. RANDOLPH HALUZA-DELAY,
DR. THERESA ZOLNER and DR. DAVID LONG.
They’ve been doing community engaged research for a
long time    r. Zolner for example received an Academic
—D
Excellence award from the Canadian Psychological
Association for her community research with First Nations
in 2000    nd they’re excited about the opportunities the
—a
position will create.

Along with teaching the methodology and theory of
Community Engaged Research, the director will be
responsible for developing vibrant relationships of mutual
service with a wide range of Christian and non-Christian
human services agencies in the greater Edmonton area,
like the Mennonite Center for Newcomers, the Bissell
Center or Hope Mission. For students, these partnerships in
Community Engaged Research projects will offer experiential
learning opportunities working directly with organizations on
mutually beneficial projects.

“This isn’t what’s called ‘service-learning’” says
Dr. Haluza-DeLay. “It’s student-driven research desired
by specific organizations to help them in their work.”

“Essential to this ambition is putting the time and care into
developing and sustaining relationships with communities,
agencies, and people outside King’s, and to do this
responsibly and professionally. This is what the newly
created position of Community Engaged Research Director is
intended to oversee, and it adds a whole new angle to what
w