Julie Williams (left), associate vice president for research and academic affairs, and Bruce Mallory (center), provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, present Barrett Rock, professor of natural resources, with a certificate of his appointment to the inaugural class of the Outreach Scholars Program. (UNH Photo Services)

UNH recognizes outreach scholars

By Denise Hart, UNH Media Relations

UNH welcomed back President Emerita Joan Leitzel to launch a new program jointly supported by Research and Outreach Scholarship and the Provost’s office designed to build faculty strength in outreach scholarship and advance the academic strategic plan.

UNH President Emerita Joan Leitzel gave the keynote address for the induction ceremony of 22 faculty into the Outreach Scholars Program.

An induction ceremony held Oct. 13 at Holloway Commons honored the 22 professors nominated for inclusion in the inaugural year of the Outreach Scholars Program. The ceremony featured the theme “Excellence in Outreach Scholarship” with Leitzel presenting a keynote address discussing how engagement and outreach scholarship connects to the national agenda. Additional speakers included Bruce Mallory, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs; Julie Williams, associate vice president for research and outreach scholarship and Eleanor Abrams, associate professor of education and director of outreach scholarship.

“The program is designed to build teams of faculty who will champion outreach scholarship at the university and develop the knowledge to work more effectively with external partners,” Williams said. “In addition, we want to be prepared for national opportunities at the federal level that can benefit New Hampshire citizens; a growing trend among federal agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health is the strong need to demonstrate broader impact.”

Outreach scholars typically focus some of their research interests in areas that are beneficial to external partners and are designed to advance the public good. As a land, sea and space grant university, UNH has a special commitment to generate knowledge that has application and that can directly benefit the public.

“This year, the specific disciplinary focus areas for the Outreach Scholars Program are math; science & engineering education; marine education and research; social sciences and the health sciences,” noted Abrams. “I think creating opportunities for these 22 outstanding faculty to learn more about outreach scholarship and to work creatively with each other will enhance their ability to partner more effectively with organizations and institutions at the local, state and national levels.”

Faculty inducted as outreach scholars will participate in a series of workshops and lectures by nationally known experts in outreach scholarship, learn from federal agency and foundation officers and work in teams to develop a year-end project related to policy, educational outreach or research related to outreach scholarship.For more information about the Outreach Scholars Program, visit www.unh.edu/outreach or contact Eleanor Abrams, director of outreach scholarship, at 603-862-1997 or eleanor.abrams@unh.edu.

UNH Outreach Scholars Program Faculty Fellows

Kristine Baber, associate professor, family studies
Robert Barcelona, assistant professor, recreation management & policy

Jason Boccaro, assistant professor, recreation management & policy

David Burdick, research associate professor, natural resources

Kent Chamberlin, professor, electrical engineering

Peter Erickson, associate professor, dairy cattle management & nutritional sciences

Charlie French, extension assistant professor, resource economics & development

Ross Gittell, professor, management

George Hurtt, assistant professor, natural resources

Vania Jordanova, research associate professor, EOS

Brad Kinsey, assistant professor, mechanical engineering

Yeping Li, assistant professor, mathematics/CEPS

Joe Lugalla, professor, anthropology

Michael Middleton, assistant professor, education

Sharyn Potter, associate professor, sociology

Judith Robb, associate professor, education

Rob Robertson, associate professor, resource economics and development

Barrett Rock, professor, natural resources

Jeffrey Runge, research professor, Ocean Process Analysis Lab/EOS/COLSA

Jeffrey Schloss, extension professor, aoology/COLSA/Cooperative Extension

Christine Shea, associate professor, decision sciences
Richard Zang, associate professor, mathematics