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About Us
Community-engaged research is a collaborative enterprise between academic researchers (faculty, staff, and students) and community members (organizations, nonprofits, and government agencies) that synthesizes multiple sources of knowledge, promotes diverse methods of discovery and dissemination of the knowledge produced, and embraces social action and social change as outcomes (Strand et al, 2003). The Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) program at Fairfield University focuses on engaging faculty and students in interdisciplinary research with local non-profit agencies, governments, and schools in the Greater Bridgeport Area of Connecticut – while also supporting select regional, national, and international projects.
CEnR is housed within the Center for Social Impact with strong ties to the College of Arts and Sciences, and the professional schools.
Research Areas
- Census and Demographic Analysis
- Needs/Assets Analysis
- Statistical Analysis
- Survey Implementation & Analysis
- GIS (Geographic Information Systems) – Historical & Contemporary
- Economic Impact Analysis
- Qualitative Analysis
Mission And Values
The Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) program connects the knowledge and resources of the university with knowledge and resources of the community to develop research-based solutions to social challenges.
- Facilitates professional development for faculty, students, staff, and community partners to strengthen the practice of community-based participatory research
- Assists faculty to produce high-quality, applied research on critical issues
- Creates opportunities for students that builds their research skills, problem-solving capacity, and ability to work in diverse teams
- Facilitates and strengthens campus-community partnerships
- Builds the research capacity of community partners
- Disseminates research results to the community, policy makers, and academics
- Convenes stakeholders to discuss issues and identify new research opportunities
Our Team
Reinaldo González Rodríguez
Assistant Director for CEnR
Center for Social Impact
Reinaldo D. González Rodriguez '20, MA '21 serves as the Assistant Director for Community-Engaged Research at the Center for Social Impact. He graduated from Fairfield University with a BA in Sociology and minors in American studies, anthropology and Black Studies. Then soon after pursued his Masters degree at Fairfield University in Applied Data Science.
Rei’s main role at the CEnR is to work with staff, faculty and students to design and implement research projects with community partners. The goal of the program is to connect the college campus to the community in order to develop research-based solutions to social challenges. Before the CEnR, Rei had the opportunity to work for a Digital Market Research company as a Sr. Data analyst. In addition to his work in digital marketing he also worked as a Data Analyst and Visualizer consultant for multiple community partners around Fairfield County.
Scott Lacy
Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Associate Professor
Sociology & Anthropology
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