Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

UNH Center Committed to Ending Sexual and Relationship Violence is Finalist for National Community Engagement Award

  • 06/11/15

DURHAM, NH – The Prevention Innovations Research Center (PIRC) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) was chosen as one of four regional winners and a finalist for this year’s national community engagement scholarship award from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) in recognition of its extraordinary community outreach initiatives in working to end sexual and relationship violence and stalking.

UNH is one of four APLU member institutions selected as regional recipients of the 2015 W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award. As a regional winner, UNH will represent and compete for the national C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award, which will be presented during the APLU Annual Meeting Nov. 15-17 in Indianapolis.

PIRC develops, implements and evaluates evidence-based and customizable programs and practices with the mission to end sexual and relationship violence and stalking. In 2014 UNH was one of three universities tapped by a White House task force to conduct further research related to ending sexual assault.

“It is a great honor to be selected as a finalist and to have the efforts of our members recognized,” says Sharyn Potter and Jane Stapleton, co-directors of PIRC. “We have worked hard to build partnerships so the findings of our evidence-based research are directly benefitting and advancing the work of state agencies and not-for-profit organizations to develop solutions to reducing the incidence and prevalence of sexual and relationship violence and stalking.” Potter and Stapleton also noted that PIRC’s community engagement extends beyond New Hampshire and includes partnerships with hundreds of colleges, universities, state coalitions, and branches of the U.S. military.

“The Magrath Awards reward the significant impact our universities make in their communities, states, and across the nation as well as the world,” says APLU President Peter McPherson. “This year’s regional award winners exemplify the broad principles of community-based outreach and engagement embraced by the public university community. We salute each of these model programs that feature students, faculty and administrators working in their community to improve the quality of life for all.”

The national award includes a sculpture and $20,000 prize. The three regional winners not chosen for the Magrath award will each receive a cash prize of $5,000. Named for C. Peter Magrath, APLU president from 1992 to 2005, the national award recognizes programs that demonstrate how colleges and universities have redesigned their learning, discovery, and engagement missions to become even more involved with their communities.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 13,000 undergraduate and 2,500 graduate students.

APLU is a research, policy, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. With a membership of 238 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations, APLU's agenda is built on the three pillars of increasing degree completion and academic success, advancing scientific research, and expanding engagement.

Featured

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • LAN, Inc. Opens Office in College Station, Texas

    Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) recently announced the opening of a new office in College Station, Texas, to support its regional client base, according to a news release. The organization provides engineering, design, and program management services for water, wastewater, transportation, stormwater, and education clients in the Brazos Valley.

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.