In recognition of extraordinary community engagement initiatives, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities named the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a regional winner of the 2025 W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award. UT will compete for the national C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award, which will be announced in November. Other finalists for the award are Indiana University, Oregon State University and West Virginia University.
Since 2007, APLU and the Engagement Scholarship Consortium, with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, have partnered to honor the engagement scholarship and partnerships of four-year public universities. The award recognizes programs that demonstrate how colleges and universities have redesigned their learning, discovery and engagement missions to deepen their partnerships and achieve broader impacts in their communities. The national award is named for C. Peter Magrath, APLU president from 1992 to 2005.
Collaboration, Research and Experiential Learning
Looking to address gaps in research at federally qualified health centers and improve care, UT teamed up with River Valley Health, formerly Cherokee Health Systems, in 2022 to launch Research and Education Aligned for Clinical and Community Health, or REACCH.
REACCH identifies community health issues through RVH frontline clinical insights and UT’s research capabilities. The partnership directly engages with communities to understand their unique needs, leveraging RVH’s deep community connections alongside UT’s academic resources. The REACCH partnership allows university faculty and students to gain experience serving East Tennessee’s patient populations, as well as multidisciplinary research and experiential learning opportunities.
These interdisciplinary collaborations provide opportunities for UT faculty, undergraduates and graduate students to participate in engaged scholarship while implementing innovative, effective and nationally recognized community-engaged research and teaching programs. The partnership is currently conducting studies and outreach efforts on improving health literacy, advancing maternal health education, reducing chronic illness and providing nutrition education.
“We are thrilled to be named a finalist for the APLU Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award,” said Ellen McIntyre, dean of UT’s College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. “It is an honor to work closely with River Valley Health to serve our community. This recognition highlights the commitment of our faculty, staff and students to our land grant mission. We are creating meaningful impact and strengthening the bonds with the public we serve.”
APLU President Waded Cruzado said, “Congratulations to the winners of the Kellogg Community Engagement Scholarship Awards. Community engagement is core to the public university mission, and we’re thrilled to recognize the critical work these institutions have done to help their communities tackle stubborn challenges and unleash the potential of their regions.”
A team of community engagement professionals from public research universities judged this round of the award. A second team will pick the national winner following presentations at the 2025 National Engagement Scholarship Conference.
The C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award includes a $20,000 prize. The three other regional winners will each receive a $5,000 prize to further their work.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Stacy Estep (865-974-8304, sestep3@utk.edu)