Center For Public Scholarship And Social Change

The Center for Public Scholarship & Social Change brings together teams of faculty, students, and members of the community to engage collaboratively in research for public purposes. Aiming to leverage the ability for shared research on public issues, the Center for Public Scholarship lends assistance and expertise in identifying research issues, developing research designs, collecting data, writing up results, disseminating results, and working with policymakers and practitioners to resolve issues affecting local, regional, and global communities.

Goals for the Center include the following:

• organize and direct focused research on public issues and develop new models, provide expertise, create linkages to support public impact activities, and help initiate and guide public policy decision-making;
• collaborate with community organizations to define and prioritize the issues on which such research focuses;
• support faculty, student, staff, and community research projects through the Polling and Research Office, including but not limited to research involving perceived community needs, quality of services, and attitudes of the public;
• help raise the level of public awareness about and responsiveness to public issues;
• coordinate faculty and visitor colloquia, workshops, and conferences to bring awareness to and support the development of community-based scholarship; and
• offer funding opportunities for individual faculty members, visitors, students and student organizations to subsidize community-based research activities.

 

News about our Partners and recent events:

In collaboration with Ambassadors for Hope, the Center for Public Scholarship and Social Change hosted Sec. John E. Wetzel (PA Sec. of Corrections) at the Ware Center to discuss with community leaders, residents, and Millersville students the impact of incarceration on children and families.

• Click here to view the event!

Student research fellows, through the Center of Public Scholarship and Social Change, assist in the Lancaster Southwest Revitalization Plan.

In 2015, a Lancaster County family services advocate for children who have a parent in prison was launched thanks in part to the work of Bob Cooper, Dr. Mary Glazier, support of the Ambassadors for Hope executive committee, and Millersville University students.

March 15, 2016 - Millersville’s Dr. Mary Glazier was on Smart Talk with representatives from Ambassadors for Hope and Compass Mark to discuss the needs of children with a parent in prison.  Listen to the archived program at http://www.witf.org/smart-talk/

• Article about Ambassadors for Hope: How Lancaster County Prison is helping moms and dads in jail build bonds with kids
• Editorial about Ambassadors for Hope: Program helping the children of parents incarcerated at Lancaster County Prison does important work
• Featured Article: County to Look at Needs of Children whose Parents are in Prison
• Parents behind bars- Children left in their wake
• Opinion: The Children of Incarcerated Parents need an Advocate
• Article about the community response: Christmas wishes touch of spirit of giving here 
• Article about the County Commissioners vote: Children of Prisoners to get Special Services Advocate
• Article about Family Advocate: 'A LIFESAVER' Advocate program meets needs of kids with incarcerated parents, but faces uncertainty
  
• Article about DMC: An Evaluation of the Youth/Law Enforcement DMC Forum

At the request of the Center for Public Scholarship and Social Change and the Lancaster Safety Coalition (LSC), Millersville Communication and Theatre students Michael Rapak, Haley Shiner, and Jessica File produced this short film in support of the (LSC).

• Watch the video

 On-going research for the Lancaster Safety Coalition was featured in on ABC27 in a report on their rebranding and fundraising. 

• Lancaster Safety Coalition hopes Changes will help attract supporter