UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1243
Submission information
Submission Number: 1243
Submission ID: 20811
Submission UUID: fa8ccb59-a636-44b9-8525-1f893e6405c3
Submission URI: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal
Submission Update: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=4Fnb9itgqZzq7BapqIp3QgR8S_0eFbTjsUJZL_-LKAE
Created: Mon, 08/18/2025 - 02:17 PM
Completed: Mon, 08/18/2025 - 02:31 PM
Changed: Fri, 09/26/2025 - 12:58 PM
Remote IP address: 144.174.214.39
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Webform: UROP Project Proposal Portal
Submitted to: UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal
Research Mentor Information
Maria Paula McIntyre Nwenyi
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FSU Staff/Campus Partner
N/A
Center for Leadership & Service
Additional Research Mentor(s)
Overall Project Details
Bridging the Gap: Leveraging Resources to Meet Community-Driven Research and Evaluation Needs in Tallahassee
Community-engaged research, nonprofit collaboration, evaluation capacity, data access, higher education partnerships, Tallahassee, public sector, civic engagement, community development, applied research
No
2
• Public Administration
• Social Work
• Urban and Regional Planning
• Sociology
• Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
• Criminology
• Education Policy and Evaluation
• Political Science
• Data Science / Statistics
• Nonprofit Management
• Social Work
• Urban and Regional Planning
• Sociology
• Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
• Criminology
• Education Policy and Evaluation
• Political Science
• Data Science / Statistics
• Nonprofit Management
On FSU Main Campus
Yes
Partially Remote
An average of 8 hours per week
During business hours
Across Tallahassee, community-based organizations, nonprofits, and public agencies engage in critical work to support local residents. These organizations often identify clear needs for data collection, program evaluation, and applied research but lack the capacity or resources to address them internally.
Florida State University (FSU), as a public research institution, holds considerable expertise and infrastructure that could be mobilized in service of these community-defined needs. However, alignment between university research practices and community priorities is often inconsistent or fragmented.
This project seeks to explore and develop pathways for mutual collaboration between FSU and Tallahassee’s nonprofit and public sectors. Specifically, it will identify:
1. What evaluation and data needs are most valued by local community organizations.
2. What barriers and opportunities exist in leveraging university resources to meet these needs.
3. How institutional practices at FSU can be adapted to foster sustainable, ethical, and community-responsive research partnerships.
The project will use a community-engaged, qualitative approach, centering the voices and expertise of local organizational leaders, while mapping institutional assets at FSU. Ultimately, this research will inform a replicable framework for reciprocal university–community collaborations, aligned with FSU’s values of service, leadership, and civic responsibility.
Florida State University (FSU), as a public research institution, holds considerable expertise and infrastructure that could be mobilized in service of these community-defined needs. However, alignment between university research practices and community priorities is often inconsistent or fragmented.
This project seeks to explore and develop pathways for mutual collaboration between FSU and Tallahassee’s nonprofit and public sectors. Specifically, it will identify:
1. What evaluation and data needs are most valued by local community organizations.
2. What barriers and opportunities exist in leveraging university resources to meet these needs.
3. How institutional practices at FSU can be adapted to foster sustainable, ethical, and community-responsive research partnerships.
The project will use a community-engaged, qualitative approach, centering the voices and expertise of local organizational leaders, while mapping institutional assets at FSU. Ultimately, this research will inform a replicable framework for reciprocal university–community collaborations, aligned with FSU’s values of service, leadership, and civic responsibility.
Research Assistants (RAs) will engage in the following tasks:
1. Community Asset and Needs Mapping
o Conduct an environmental scan of local nonprofits and agencies.
o Develop a community database categorized by sector, mission, and capacity.
2. Stakeholder Engagement
o Assist in recruiting and interviewing leaders from community organizations and public agencies.
o Document community-defined research and evaluation priorities.
3. University Capacity Assessment
o Identify FSU centers, faculty, and student programs that could provide support.
o Analyze gaps in current engagement practices.
4. Data Collection and Analysis
o Conduct qualitative interviews and focus groups.
o Code and analyze data using thematic analysis methods (e.g., NVivo).
5. Product and Partnership Development
o Create a poster presentation with recommendations for bridging community needs with FSU resources.
o Contribute to building a prototype “community-university partnership dashboard” or directory.
6. Knowledge Sharing
o Help prepare materials for public presentations, community roundtables, and student engagement events.
o Collaborate on reports, infographics, and policy briefs for both university and community audiences.
1. Community Asset and Needs Mapping
o Conduct an environmental scan of local nonprofits and agencies.
o Develop a community database categorized by sector, mission, and capacity.
2. Stakeholder Engagement
o Assist in recruiting and interviewing leaders from community organizations and public agencies.
o Document community-defined research and evaluation priorities.
3. University Capacity Assessment
o Identify FSU centers, faculty, and student programs that could provide support.
o Analyze gaps in current engagement practices.
4. Data Collection and Analysis
o Conduct qualitative interviews and focus groups.
o Code and analyze data using thematic analysis methods (e.g., NVivo).
5. Product and Partnership Development
o Create a poster presentation with recommendations for bridging community needs with FSU resources.
o Contribute to building a prototype “community-university partnership dashboard” or directory.
6. Knowledge Sharing
o Help prepare materials for public presentations, community roundtables, and student engagement events.
o Collaborate on reports, infographics, and policy briefs for both university and community audiences.
No prior experience is required—training and guided reflection will be built into the experience. However, RAs will benefit from having or developing the following skills:
• Social competencies and a deep respect for community knowledge
• Strong interpersonal and listening skills
• Experience or interest in community engagement, public service, or nonprofit work
• Comfort navigating university structures or interest in organizational analysis
• Ability to synthesize information and communicate clearly for a variety of audiences
• Social competencies and a deep respect for community knowledge
• Strong interpersonal and listening skills
• Experience or interest in community engagement, public service, or nonprofit work
• Comfort navigating university structures or interest in organizational analysis
• Ability to synthesize information and communicate clearly for a variety of audiences
In this project, I view mentorship as a collaborative, reciprocal, and asset-based process. I believe that student researchers bring critical insight not only from the classroom but also from their personal values, lived experiences, and civic aspirations.
My mentoring approach emphasizes:
• Ethical engagement, centering community voices and honoring their knowledge.
• Skill-building for impact, helping students develop the research, communication, and organizational skills they need to contribute meaningfully to society.
• Critical reflection, ensuring students understand power and positionality in community-university dynamics.
• Co-learning, where students are treated as co-investigators and supported as future leaders in public service and scholarship.
Through regular team meetings, individual coaching, and leadership opportunities within the project, I aim to foster a learning environment where students feel empowered to grow intellectually, ethically, and professionally.
My mentoring approach emphasizes:
• Ethical engagement, centering community voices and honoring their knowledge.
• Skill-building for impact, helping students develop the research, communication, and organizational skills they need to contribute meaningfully to society.
• Critical reflection, ensuring students understand power and positionality in community-university dynamics.
• Co-learning, where students are treated as co-investigators and supported as future leaders in public service and scholarship.
Through regular team meetings, individual coaching, and leadership opportunities within the project, I aim to foster a learning environment where students feel empowered to grow intellectually, ethically, and professionally.
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Yes
Friday, September 5, from 4:00pm-4:30pm
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94896472627
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94896472627
- Day: Friday, September 5
Start Time: 4:00
End Time: 4:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/94896472627
UROP Program Elements
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
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2025
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