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I'm Hi Fitgerald and I'm Associate Provost for University Outreach and Engagement
at Michigan State University.
I'm also President of the National Outreach Scholarship Conference.
So I invite you to come to East Lansing
in October of 2011
for the 12th meeting of the National Outreach Scholarship Conference.
My name is Kim Wilcox and I'm the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
at Michigan State University.
Here at MSU, engaged scholarship is embedded in all of our research, teaching
and service activities.
With that in mind, we promote an asset-based, action-driven approach to scholarship
that provides opportunities for academic and community partners to address society's most pressing
issues, in concert with our experts here on campus. In all our work at Michigan State University
we emphasize university-community partnerships
that are collaborative, participatory, empowering, systemic, transformative,
but anchored in scholarship.
Together with community partners,
We co-create and generate knowledge,
act on it,
and move towards transformative and sustainable changes in communities.
We recently introduced MSU-Extension in the 21st century,
an effort to refocus our priorities to better address the state's and the world's
changing needs.
We at Michigan State view outreach and engagement as a central part of our responsibilities to a global society.
It was part of our land-grant mission -- we were founded in 1855 -- and
it is a part of our world-grant mandate in 2011.
It is our responsibility to co-create,
with our stakeholders around the globe,
not simply solutions to problems, but the definitions of problems in ways that make the most
difference in those communities.
Our faculty and academic staff lead the way for creative solutions and we value the combined
efforts of the university and community partners who together tackle the toughest challenges in
today's society.
We are pleased to join with our institutional partners
that share and act on these values.
It's an honor for us to host the 12th Annual National Outreach Scholarship Conference.
Next year's conference theme will be Engaged Scholarship & Evidence-Based Practice. Like all of you,
we are always seeking new ways to do things.
I am sure that if you come to Michigan State and engage actively in this conference,
you will not only help to inspire others by the work that you do,
but can be motivated
to continue this work in ways that will produce the kind of global prosperity in our local
communities for our country and for the world. I encourage you to attend the planned workshops,
plenary sessions, symposia, panels,
programs, and presentations
as we further explore the critical issues facing higher education and American society. We welcome
the National Outreach Scholarship Conference to our campus in 2011.
I look forward to sharing our engagement mission
with academic colleagues and community partners from across the country.
Autumn is a wonderful time to experience the Michigan State University campus,
East Lansing,
and indeed the State of Michigan.
I hope that you all join us for this important initiative, this important work
and I look forward to seeing you when you come to East Lansing.
Please join us October 2nd through 4th, 2011.
We look forward to seeing you,
here in East Lansing.