Institute for Community Based Research

The Institute for Community-Based Research engages in projects aimed at informing social change from the grassroots level. Substantive areas of focus include: 1) underemployment and persistent poverty, 2) environment, health and food security, and 3) organizing cooperative alternatives. Housed within the Center for Community and Economic Development at Delta State University, the Institute is closely affiliated with the Division of Social Sciences. A central aim of this effort is to provide an avenue through which DSU students, especially those pursuing a Master of Science degree in Community Development, are able to collaborate with faculty and communities to engage in timely and meaningful research.

The mission of the Institute is to assist community groups in identifying and answering questions significant to improving their livelihood security. The Institute seeks to achieve this mission through the establishment of mutually productive partnerships between community groups, faculty, graduate students and other interested parties through the use of a wide variety of research strategies.

The Institute works primarily with membership-based community groups (including nonprofit organizations and cooperatives) in Mississippi , but also other organizations in the region and country. Groups must demonstrate a commitment to active partnerships for seeking solutions to community problems and be generally underserved by the research community and/or lacking the needed technical, human, or fiscal resources.

Activities of the Institute entail:

• Engaging with community groups in meeting their research needs, including training and technical assistance with question formulation, research design, methods of inquiry, data analysis, and reporting.
• Linking community groups, larger area nonprofit associations, government agencies, and educational/research institutions.
• Developing and strengthening the research, outreach, and educational skills of Delta State University students in working with community groups and their partners in directly addressing social problems.

For further information on the Institute for Community-Based Research, please contact John J. Green, Ph.D.

The Institute’s website is: 

http://ntweb.deltastate.edu/vp%5Facademic/jgreen/New_ICBR_WebPages/index_ICBR.htm 

"Building and Empowering Relationships that Strengthen Communities"

This page is maintained by:  Kristen Pyron