The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness, directed by Daniel Perkins, professor of family and youth resiliency and policy in the Department of Agriculture Economics, Sociology and Education, has received the 2016 Penn State Award for Community Engagement and Scholarship.
The award recognizes a project that best exemplifies Penn State as an “engaged institution”, which the Kellogg Commission defines as an institution that has redesigned teaching, research, extension and service functions to become even more sympathetically and productively involved with its communities. By engagement the Commission also envisions partnerships as two-way streets defined by mutual respect among the partners for what each brings to the table.
Perkins’ dedication and tireless efforts in partnering with the military to assist service members and their families has driven the culture of engagement at the Clearinghouse. “Danny and the Clearinghouse are most deserving of this award,” said Susan McHale, director of the Social Science Research Institute. “He is passionate in pursing Penn State’s land grant mission of engagement and determined to apply scholarship in meaningful ways that impact the health and well-being of military personnel and their families.”
In 2010, Perkins created the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness with funding from the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Agriculture. Since then, the Clearinghouse has been assisting a global community of professionals in identifying, implementing, evaluating programs and practices aimed at improving the health and well-being of military personnel and their families.
As director, Perkins charts the Clearinghouse’s goals, develops outreach partnerships, acquires research funding, and leads and ever-growing staff that currently numbers 75, including 14 doctoral and 20 post-baccalaureate level researchers.
The Clearinghouse team has built ties with numerous military communities, making more than 80 visits to military installations across the world. “True to the land grant spirit and mission, Perkins and his staff do not present themselves as the experts in their engagement activities, but as an energetic learners and collaborators,” said Jennifer Dailey-Perkins, outreach specialist for the Department of Defense Education Activity. “The Clearinghouse completely gets that we are in this together.”
The Clearinghouse benefits Penn State students because of their learning opportunities with military partners. “The Clearinghouse has become a lively hub of student engagement where students work closely with a range of communities to understand and respond to the needs of military children, youth and families,” added Keith Aronson, associate director of the Clearinghouse. Currently, 10 graduate and nine undergraduate students receive financial support through Clearinghouse projects.
Perkins, as winner of the Penn State Community Engagement and Scholarship Award, has also been named as Penn State’s nominee for the Northeast region W.K. Kellogg Foundation Outreach Scholarship Award, sponsored by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. Regional winners advance to compete for the national C. Peter Magrath University Community Engagement Award.