Community Partners

The Center for Public Scholarship and Social Change fosters collaborations across disciplines and sectors through empowering and assisting the local community. Below are all of the Center's current community partners, as well as the Center's role in each project and team members.

List of Community Partners

  • Lancaster Public Library

    By providing equitable access to vital educational resources, exceptional programming, and community building opportunities, the Lancaster Public Library is recognized as a dynamic center of knowledge and a cornerstone of a thriving Lancaster community.

    HOW IS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP INVOLVED?

    The Center used Geographic Information Systems to determine the municipality of each individual donor to the Library and produced various maps showing the distribution of donors in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and the United States.

    Project Leader: Dr. Angerla Cuthbert

    Student Affiliates: Ben Beattie

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  • Ambassadors for Hope

    Ambassadors for Hope is an advocacy group whose purpose is to strengthen families impacted by incarceration. Ambassadors for Hope strives to educate and advocate about the needs of children in Lancaster County who have a parent in prison.

    HOW IS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP INVOLVED?

    The CPSSC provides research support to Ambassadors for Hope and connects it to other resources available. For instance, students help with community outreach, updating and creating media posts, and setting up arts and crafts tables for local events. 

    Project Leader: Dr. Mary Glazier 

    Student Affiliates: Julie Claar and Kristen Snyder

     ambassadors for hope

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  • Compass Mark (Previous Partner)

    Compass Mark is a non-profit whose mission is to reduce the incidence, prevalence, and consequences of the harmful use of and addiction to alcohol and other drugs. For years, Compass Mark has been focused on guiding children, teens, and adults in Lancaster County to lead stronger, more fulfilling lives.

    HOW IS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP INVOLVED?

    The Lancaster County Family Services Advocate, who provide services to children with incarcerated parents, is housed at Compass Mark. The Center for Public Scholarship and Social Change supports the work of the Family Services Advocate through consultation on tracking outcomes and research on best practices. 

    Most Recent Report: Family Services Advocate (Lancaster) Program Evaluation, 2021

    Project Leader: Dr. Carrie Smith

    Student Affiliates: Helen Schirf

    compass mark

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  • HDC Mid-Atlantic (Previous Partner)

    HDC Mid-Atlantic are developers and providers of, and advocates for, affordable housing. They believe that housing is a human right and are committed to ensuring everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home.

    HOW IS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP INVOLVED?

    The CPSSC is currently working with HDC Mid-Atlantic by examining whether using on-site services affects residents' health and wellness. 

    Most Recent Report: Housing Development Corporation Residents Survey Analysis, 2019

    Project Leaders: Dr. Carrie Smith and Helen Schirf

    Student Affiliates: Alicia Hill, Lauryn Holland, Lael Marshal, David Mills, Kylie Murray, Taryn Nardi, Lyndsey Kregel, Julissa Rodriguez, Amy Sheeley, and Kristen Snyder

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  • Tenfold (Previous Partner)

    Tenfold cultivates partnerships and resources to increase the availability of quality, fair, and affordable housing throughout Lancaster County.

    HOW IS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP INVOLVED?

    CPSSCC works with TenFold on community mobilization and research in the Southwest Neighborhood Improvement Program. The Center also works with SoWe, which is a community group focused on revitalizing the Southwest part of Lancaster City. In the Fall of 2021, students helped survey Southwest Lancaster residents to assess the impact of SoWe programs and initiatives on the local community. 

    Most Recent Report: Southwest Lancaster Resident Survey Analysis September, 2016

    Project Leaders: Dr. Carrie Smith 

    Student Affiliates: Helen Schirf and Kristen Snyder

     tenfold
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  • MUSPA (Previous Partner)

    MUSPA is a 6-session program where students learn more about community policing, different areas of the criminal justice system, and the role of diversity in law enforcement from state, city, and local law enforcement professionals.

    HOW IS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP INVOLVED?

    CPSSC evaluates whether the academy increased participants’ interest in pursuing a career in law enforcement, whether the participants gained knowledge about law enforcement and if attending the academy influenced participants’ perceptions of policing. 

    Most Recent Report: Millersville University Student Police Academy: Improving Diversity in Policing, 2021

    Project Leader: Dr. Carrie Smith

    Student Affiliates: David Mills and Helen Schirf 

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  • People & Places (Previous Partner)

    As part of a larger project to explore best practices to assist the unsheltered, the People & Places team is gathering insights and ideas about what is most needed in this community by interviewing those who have experienced unsheltered homelessness. This project aims to incorporate their ideas about the community’s needs into the recommendations that they can share with city administration, social service providers, and the community at large.

    HOW IS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP INVOLVED?

    The Center helps by examining the needs of the homeless population in Lancaster by conducting observational research in public spaces in Lancaster City and interviewing stakeholders (e.g., outreach workers, first responders, community volunteers, etc.) surrounding those spaces.

    Most Recent Report: Two Sides of the Same Coin: Homelessness as Environmental Injustice

    Project Leader: Dr. Jennifer Frank

    Student Affiliates: Rachel Preibisch and Dawn Watson

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  • Point-In-Time (PIT) Count (Previous Partner)

    The PIT count is a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness that the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires each Continuum of Care (CoC) nationwide to conduct in the last 10 days of January each year.

    HOW IS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP INVOLVED?

    Several students from the CPPSC signed up to participate in the annual count. Through this experience, students were able to connect with outreach workers, as well as talk to those who are experiencing homelessness.

    Student Affiliates: Jenna Graeff, Brittany Leffler, Ellie Rohrback, Helen Schirf, Kristen Snyder, Dawn Watson, and Emma Wright

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  • Stepping Stones (Previous Partner)

    By partnering with the Factory Ministries, YWCA of Lancaster and Tenfold, Dr. Frank and her students have been studying the impacts of corresponding with a pen pal could have on loneliness and one’s willingness to engage with the community.

    HOW IS CENTER FOR PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP INVOLVED?

    As researcher participants, students write letters monthly to an individual identified by the Factory Ministries through their community outreach programming. This facilitates human connection with the goal of combating social isolation. For student researchers, their role is to read through all the letters, code the qualitative data, and look for key themes within the letters. 

    Dr. Jennifer Frank and her team have been featured in the LNP! To learn more about this amazing project, click here to read the full article. 

    Project Leader: Dr. Jennifer Frank

    Student Affiliates: Rachel Preibisch and Dawn Watson

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  • ADVOZ: Mediation and Restorative Practices (Previous Partner)

    ADVOZ is a restorative justice program provides facilitated dialog to victims and youth offenders, and services to reduce reoffending.

    How was the Center involved?

    The CPSSC worked with the ADVOZ to promote greater awareness of restorative justice programs.

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  • Lancaster Safety Coalition (Previous Partner)

    The Lancaster Safety Coalition enhances Lancaster’s community safety through video safety, safety by environmental design, and educating the community.

    How was the Center involved?

    CPSSC conducted research on the effectiveness of the video evidence in resolving prosecutions in criminal court. 

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  • The Spanish American Civic Association, SACA (Previous Partner)

    SACA's mission is to uplift and restore marginalized communities through human, economic, and social services, while supporting cultural identities.

    How was the Center involved?

    SACA partnered with the Center for Public Scholarship and Social Change to revitalize the southeast part of Lancaster City. SACA was interested in gathering residents' input on the way they want to revitalize their community.

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  • Lancaster County Reentry Coalition (Previous Partner)
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