Community Based Research: Frequently Asked Questions
The Harrisburg Institute is a community-based initiative of
Messiah College that focuses on linking campus and community.
Specifically, this initiative links urban and service learning
through intentional community, coursework, and research.
The overall mission of the Institute is to develop strategies of
engagement that address community concerns and that foster
mutual learning among students, educators, and community
partners, particularly in Harrisburg and the surrounding urban
neighborhoods.
The Harrisburg Institute is located at 28 Dewberry St. (at the
corner of Dewberry St. and Blackberry St.) between Market and
Chestnut Streets in the city of Harrisburg.
This facility accommodates housing for up to 25 students and
staff offices, as well as classroom and conference room space. The
following individuals’ offices are at the Harrisburg Institute:
• Craig Dalen, director of community life
• Dr. David Hietala, director of the Harrisburg Institute
• Jill Osielski, grant project coordinator
The model for the Messiah College Harrisburg Institute is known
as asset-based community development, defined as building on
the strengths of a community when addressing issues of social
concern. Asset-based community development takes into account
the “felt needs” of the community.
Colleges engaged in communities are often tempted to develop
policies and programs based on an academic paradigm that
focuses on the deficiencies in communities. In contrast, the
Institute focuses on listening and responding to the expressed
needs of the community and then partnering in the development
of collaborative strategies and solutions designed to address those
needs.
Messiah College established the Harrisburg Institute to create a
web for engagement where students, educators and city leaders
collaborate on strategic initiatives that not only address core
community issues, but also provide the opportunity for learning
and scholarship. The Institute allows Messiah to serve as an
important resource for those in the Harrisburg community
through activities that combine faculty expertise, student
service, and community collaboration.
In 2001, Messiah College was awarded a $2 million grant
from the Lilly Endowment to enrich curriculum and campus
experiences that help students view their lives as part of a
larger divine purpose. Messiah designated a portion of the
grant to focus on planning a more intentional presence for the
College in the city of Harrisburg and the surrounding region.
Joseph Jones, former dean of the School of Education and
Social Sciences at Messiah College, launched the early phase
of the Harrisburg Institute with a “listening tour” of the
area, contacting dozens of organizations, including business
internship sites for Messiah students, non-profit organizations,
and community health agencies. Later, a more formal survey
was administered to identify the number of organizations in
Harrisburg and the region with which the college had built
relationships in the prior five years. A database consisting of
more than 1,750 organizations was then developed where
faculty, students, and staff have provided service. More than
250 key Harrisburg organizations were invited to a formal
dinner and focus group event to discuss the role of the
college in the community and to confirm critical issues in the
Harrisburg region.
In 2002, under the direction of Dean Jones, Messiah
established the Harrisburg Institute for Community Research
and Collaborative Partnerships and later incorporated other
research, service and consulting work to form the Harrisburg
Institute.
Messiah College’s Harrisburg Institute benefits the Harrisburg
community because it provides opportunities to work
toward improved healthcare access, public education reform,
community revitalization, and leadership for increasing local
capacity.
• Academic programming will include delivery of URBS 215,
beginning Fall 2007, with its focus on urban history, theory,
and contemporary urban studies.
• Research projects include:
A collaborative of community organizations and agencies,
led by the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg and assisted by
faculty members at Messiah College and the Weed and
Seed TALL Team, which works to enhance, expand and
strengthen programs serving youth and families in the South
Allison Hill neighborhood of Harrisburg.
The strategic goal of this initiative is the evaluation and
design of after-school programming and the delivery of
professional development for early childhood educators in
the Harrisburg School District.
Development and delivery of programming designed to
engage youth enrolled in Harrisburg’s William Penn High
School in the arts as an avenue for personal expression
and identity development, thus leading to the increase of
school attendance, academic achievement, and relational
connections for mentoring. This program has included
a collaborative of community organizations such as The
Institute for Cultural Partnerships, Gamut Theatre, and
Quite as Kept Productions.
• College programs collaborating with the Harrisburg Institute
include:
• Agapé Center for Service and Learning
• Collaboratory for Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research
• Division of Student Affairs
• The Ernest L. Boyer Center
• Harrisburg School District P-16 Council
• Internship Center
• Latino Partnership and Office of Multicultural Programs
The Harrisburg Institute is funded by a combination of several
resources which include the College’s operational budget, private
foundation and corporate grants, private donor funding, and
federal grants.
The Harrisburg Institute is actively interested in programming
that includes:
• Capacity-building for community organizations
• Advisory panels for project development
• Research teams to address community concerns
• Community discussion forums
• Further development of the College’s focus on urban
studies
• Service-learning in Harrisburg via the reshaping of
existing coursework at Messiah College.
Do these programs catch your eye or spark your passion?
If so, contact:
Craig Dalen, director of community life
cdalen@messiah.edu
717-796-4785
David Hietala, director of Harrisburg Institute;
assistant professor of urban studies
dhietala@messiah.edu
717-796-4787
Jill Osielski, grant project coordinator
josielski@messiah.edu
717-796-4765
