Center for Community Research and Engagement

The Center for Community Research and Engagement aims to promote community-based projects through applied or participatory action research, critical analysis, and outreach or creative activities in order to understand and explain societies and explore ways to improve conditions for human well-being. We define communities broadly and inclusively, not only as local communities that include the U.S.-Mexico border region, but also as communities in other parts of the United States and the world.

The primary objectives of the Center are:

• Create and sustain an interdisciplinary community of scholars who are actively engaged community-based projects;
• Organize and facilitate workshops, colloquia, and conferences to support research activities, exchanges, and collaborations related to community research and engagement;
• Foster an environment to explore innovative ways to address community’s challenges based on empirical evidence;
• Provide an outlet, a forum or a website for the dissemination of the products of community-based research and the outcomes of evidence-based community engagement;
• Provide a publication outlet for policy or other reports that result from community-based research;
• Develop innovative instructional and pedagogical resources based on community-based research and action projects that could enhance students’ learning.