Preventing Graduate Student Heroic Suicide in Community-Based Research: A Tale of Two Committees

Nancy Franz-Iowa State University

ISU Extension and Outreach Director, Professional Development

Professor, School of Education

Dr. Nancy Franz

Nancy’s Background• 32+ years with Extension in five states

4-H agent, volunteer, department head, district liaison, state specialist, project administrator, graduate student, administrator

• Youth and adult education in all program areas

• Research in TL and E&R community engagement

Overview

• Graduate students value being engaged with communities

• Hard to find faculty to support them

• More opportunities needed for developing knowledge and skills for community-based scholarship

• Research stakeholder advisory committee (RSAC) is an important support

Community-Based Education and Research Renaissance• Boyer

• Kellogg Commission

• NOSC/ESC

• Campus Compact

• Engagement Academies

• Carnegie Classification

• Journals – JHEOE, JCES, JOE, JHSE

Challenges for Young Scholars

• Academic heroism (vs. team)

• Appropriate graduate committee members

• The “academic only” graduate experience

• The master-apprentice model of education

• Hierarchical structure of higher education

• Community values conflicting with higher education values

Collaboration for Learning and Research• Countering the heroic culture• Enhance empowerment, development, synergy,

transformation• Decrease isolation• Focus on common good• Public scholarship focuses on collaboration as a

best practice• Counters the dissertation “sole scholar” model

Preparation of Graduate Students• Emphasis on more than research productivity• Socialized to be community scholars• Supports needed

– Networks– Prioritizing efforts

• More focus needed on context, not just content (disciplinary training)

• Focus on co-learning and co-creation

Graduate Community-Based Research Preparation• Observe and develop community-engaged

research skills

• Multiple dimensions of scholarship

• Stakeholder perspectives and ethics

• Community-based/appropriate methods

• Public scholarship logistics

• Leadership skills

• Professional development opportunities

Why a Research Stakeholder Advisory Committee• Situate research in authentic

community-based public scholarship principles

• Adhere to academic requirements

• Prevent heroic academic suicide

• More effectively engage with communities

RSAC Characteristics

• Created by the student

• 3-10 stakeholders

• Deep interest in student success

• Value research process and implications

• Members may need academic affiliations for credibility

Roles of RSAC• Devil’s advocate

• ID and select research partners

• Review/pilot research tools

• Connect with research participants

• Provide feedback or insights on findings to improve data quality

• Insights on implications

• Student support to stay on track/navigate

Comparison of Dissertation Research Committees

Features Academic Graduate Committee Stakeholder Advisory CommitteeGoal Theory development Problem solvingOperations Academic norms (bound by semesters,

rules)Community norms (24/7, bound by imperative of action)

Power Hierarchical SharedRole Experts on research process and content Co-learners with student researcherValue Meet criteria for being a scholar Address social, economic, and

environmental issues

RSAC Lessons Learned

• Students need to expect conflicts between the two committees

• RSAC may take extra time

• Little support on campus for RSACs

• Student is the bridge between the two

• Graduate committee trumps RSAC

• Faculty involved need to be co-learners, not just experts

RSAC Lessons Learned• Better research can result• Some community members highly value

mentoring/working with students• Academic-community partnerships requires patience and

persistence• Student and academic schedules can result in episodic

research/projects• Academia is difficult for community members to navigate• Many supports needed for all doing this work• Academia needs to more fully integrate community

members into co-leading academic efforts

So?

What are your experiences with helping graduate students navigate the pathways of community-engaged research?

Thank you

nfranz@iastate.edu