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Center for Community Research

The Center for Community Research at Hood College was established in the Fall of 1997 for the purpose of providing Hood students opportunities to develop research skills while, at the same time, making a contribution to the quality of life in the Frederick community. The Center for Community Research receives generous support from Hood College, the Learn and Serve America Corporation, and the Bonner Foundation.

It is housed in the Sociology and Social Work Department on the third floor of Alumnae Hall. Two rooms (a research laboratory and an adjacent seminar room) provide space and equipment in support of the many different activities involved in community-based research: formal meetings, informal collaboration, data analysis and entry, reading and library research, and electronic communications via fax, phone, and email. Research teams, consisting of students, faculty advisors, and community members, meet, sometimes over lunch, in the Seminar Room. The Research Lab features four brand-new campus-networked computers equipped with word processing capability, Web and email access, a laser printer, and data analysis software, including Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (S.P.S.S.) and, to be added soon, Nud*ist, a software package for the analysis of qualitative social science data.

Hood Students involved in CBR are granted round-the-clock access to the Research Center facilities and can be found at all hours, sometime fueled by pizza, sodas and each other's company, working together on various aspects of their research projects.

What is "community-based-research"?

Community-based research takes place in local settings and involves collaboration between trained researchers and community members in the design and implementation of research projects aimed at meeting community-identified needs.

At Hood College, the Center for Community Research offers students service learning experiences in which they can apply and develop research skills while, at the same time, making a real contribution to the quality of life in the Frederick community.

Statement of Purpose

• To work in partnership with groups and agencies in the Frederick community on research projects to improve the quality of life in the Frederick area
• To provide opportunities for Hood students to apply skills in the design, conduct, and interpretation of research
• To promote mutually beneficial partnerships between Hood College and the Frederick community