DURHAM, N.H. - The Prevention Innovations Research Center (PIRC)at the University of New Hampshire was chosen as one of four regional winners and a finalist for this year's national community engagement scholarship award from the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) in recognition of its extraordinary community outreach initiatives in working to end sexual and relationship violence and stalking.

UNH is one of four APLU member institutions selected as regional recipients of the 2015 W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award. As a regional winner, UNH will represent and compete for the national C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award, which will be presented during the APLU Annual Meeting Nov. 15-17 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

PIRCdevelops, implements and evaluates evidence-based and customizable programs and practices with the mission to end sexual and relationship violence and stalking. In 2014 UNH was one of three universities tapped by a White House task force to conduct further research related to ending sexual assault.

"It is a great honor to be selected as a finalist and to have the efforts of our members recognized," said Sharyn Potter and Jane Stapleton, co-directors of PIRC. "We have worked hard to build partnerships so the findings of our evidence-based research are directly benefitting and advancing the work of state agencies and not-for-profit organizations to develop solutions to reducing the incidence and prevalence of sexual and relationship violence and stalking."
Potter and Stapleton also noted that PIRC's community engagement extends beyond New Hampshire and includes partnerships with hundreds of colleges, universities, state coalitions, and branches of the U.S. military.

"The Magrath Awards reward the significant impact our universities make in their communities, states, and across the nation as well as the world," said APLU President Peter McPherson. "This year's regional award winners exemplify the broad principles of community-based outreach and engagement embraced by the public university community. We salute each of these model programs that feature students, faculty and administrators working in their community to improve the quality of life for all."

The national award includes a sculpture and $20,000 prize. The three regional winners not chosen for the Magrath award will each receive a cash prize of $5,000. Named for C. Peter Magrath, APLU president from 1992 to 2005, the national award recognizes programs that demonstrate how colleges and universities have redesigned their learning, discovery, and engagement missions to become even more involved with their communities. 
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 13,000 undergraduate and 2,500 graduate students.

APLU is a research, policy, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. With a membership of 238 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations, APLU's agenda is built on the three pillars of increasing degree completion and academic success, advancing scientific research, and expanding engagement.   

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