As it moves to its new WSU Old Town office at 238 N. Mead this week, Wichita State University's Center for Community Support and Research (CCSR) has changed its name to the Community Engagement Institute and transformed to include six individual centers.

The institute has been established to further the success that CCSR has generated, including $20 million in grants and contracts in just the past 5 years.

With nearly 70 staff members and students, the Community Engagement Institute includes the following centers and directors: 

• Center for Leadership Development (Seth Bate)
• Center for Organizational Development and Collaboration (Amy Delamaide)
• Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (Tara Gregory)
• Center for Behavioral Health Initiatives (Randy Johnson)
• Center for Public Health Initiatives (Sonja Armbruster)
• The ImpACT Center (Teresa Strausz)

The goal of the institute is to promote best practices in organizations and communities interested in improving people’s lives, as well as fostering connections with community partners looking to create positive change, says Executive Director Scott Wituk.

The institute will do that by providing technical and practical capacity building, training, coaching, evaluation, project management, and related supports. Students will also work alongside staff at the institute, providing applied learning opportunities for the students.

“The transition to an institute with multiple centers allows greater visibility of the type of work each center does,” Wituk says. “For the past several years we were finding that community partners recognized us for one activity or project, but were largely unaware of the other activities we were involved in. This change also allows us greater experimentation in developing new initiatives, connecting with other university centers and faculty, and potentially creating new centers for the future.”

With the exception of the National Institute for Aviation Research, the Community Engagement Institute represents WSU’s largest collection of centers dedicated to serving the community.

“Establishing the Community Engagement Institute, due to a long track record of success, was only logical,” says John Tomblin, vice president for research and technology transfer. “They work with hundreds of community and organizational partners each year. This new structure will allow them to strengthen established relationships and partnerships, while also being responsive to other needs across our region.”

One of the cornerstones of WSU’s mission is to enhance the quality of life and opportunities for people to serve throughout the state and region. The institute is a key part in furthering that purpose, says WSU President John Bardo.

“Helping make organizations and communities more vibrant is very important,” Bardo says. “It is well recognized that pressing issues that communities and organizations face are often complex, requiring collaboration and new approaches. The Community Engagement Institute can respond to such changes and help communities and organizations be successful.”

WSU Old Town

The Community Engagement Institute’s new 20,000-square-foot office includes 10 meeting rooms and a conference room for up to 50 people, in multiple configurations.

Joining the institute at WSU Old Town are two other highly visible Wichita State centers, the Training and Technology Team (T3) and the Center for Combating Human Trafficking (CCHT). Wituk comments, “The addition of T3 and CCHT to WSU Old Town was really exciting. We’ve partnered with both on several projects. Sharing office space will only enhance our partnership.”

T3 is a diverse team of highly skilled professionals with a range of expertise in design and development using cutting-edge technologies. T3 is an innovation partner and technology solutions collaborator with various WSU colleges and departments. A strong proponent of experiential learning, the T3 team has provided work experience on real-world projects to more than 80 students.

“Our new WSU Old Town location and facilities, along with two actively engaged partners, presents dynamic opportunities to further build collaborations, accelerate research and technology transfer,” says T3 Executive Director Yasir Muneer.

CCHT is well known in the Wichita community and throughout the country for its commitment to and expertise in the anti-trafficking movement. Its mission is accomplished through direct service facilitation, education, training, consultation/technical assistance, research and policy development.

The combination of the Community Engagement Institute, T3 and CCHT brings together three complementary partners in one location.

“Moving to WSU Old Town with like-minded partners will enhance everyone’s efforts,” says CCHT Executive Director Karen Countryman-Roswurm. “Having worked the majority of my career within a not-for-profit setting with marginalized and vulnerable populations, I have long dreamt about the day when we would build an innovative, accessible collaborative such as this.”