Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock colleges have a message for state leaders: We’re here to help.

Staff from the UALR Bowen School of Law and the College of Social Sciences and Communication recently contacted public officials, nonprofit organizations, and legal-field leaders with an offer to collect and analyze data to help them tackle their biggest challenges.

The colleges asked leaders, “What type of research can we do that would better support the type of work you do every day?” said Michael Hunter Schwartz, law school dean.

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and UALR leaders and researchers will kick off the new collaboration during the first Community Engaged Research Summit. Steve Barnes, TV host and journalist, will moderate the session. The event, part of the Bowen Law School’s 40th anniversary activities, will be from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, in the Law School’s Friday Courtroom.

Improving Arkansas while creating a model for university-community partnerships is a primary goal of the community-engaged research collaboration, Schwartz said.

As part of the new initiative, university-based researchers might, for example, spend hundreds of hours combing through and analyzing records, “in a way that government employees simply don’t have time to do,” Schwartz said.

Researchers at the College of Social Sciences and Communication have long conducted engaged research, said College Founding Dean Lisa Bond-Maupin, and researchers at the law school also have used the method as part of their own initiatives.

The collaboration between the two colleges and the community and government partnerships they’re building, however, are things that have never been done.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to bring our expertise in engaged scholarship and social research method to this partnership,” Bond-Maupin said. “Our faculty value research collaborations focused on the important questions of concern to us all.”

Researchers’ expertise, time and work generally will be provided at no cost to the requesting leader or agency.

“The goal is to help, not make money,” Schwartz said.

About 250 leaders, including the governor, the attorney general, and the lieutenant governor as well as legislators, judges and lawyers, received a survey seeking input about their needs and requesting their ideas for research projects that would aid the community and the state.

All survey recipients were invited to the Sept. 17 summit, where results of the survey will be discussed, and members of the general public also are welcome to attend as long as space remains available.

Some highlights:

• TV host and journalist Steve Barnes will serve as the master of ceremonies.
• Arkansas Attorney General and UALR alumna Leslie Rutledge will discuss the potential benefits of the new initiative.
• Deans from both UALR colleges involved in the collaboration will provide opening remarks.
• UALR researchers will give brief reports on existing community-engaged research projects, including an evaluation of No Child Left Behind in Arkansas and a report on racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
• A 40th anniversary reception for the law school will follow the summit.