We are pleased to announce that the Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment (CREA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Office of Community-Based Research (CBR) at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, TX, have formalized a memorandum of understanding (MOU) establishing a partnership that provides opportunities for activities and programs to foster a collaborative relationship.
As the Director of CBR at St. Mary’s University, Rick Sperling, Ph.D., has engaged in evaluation activities with nonprofit organizations in the greater San Antonio area and was instrumental in the development of the University’s Community-Based Assessment and Evaluation academic certificate programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The memorandum of understanding with CREA supports and furthers CBR’s mission "to practice the Marianist charism by increasing the internal capacity of local San Antonio nonprofit organizations to conduct culturally-responsive assessments and evaluations that lead to a more healthful and just social ecology."
The CREA-UIUC/CREA-St. Mary's University partnership will include activities and programs such as: joint educational, cultural, and research activities; collaborative professional development opportunities through workshops and seminars; exchange of faculty and students; data sharing to build a more robust understanding of program evaluation among Mexican American non-profits; and exchange of academic materials and publications that will advance the field of culturally responsive evaluation and assessment.
