Briana Huett, associate director of the UConn Office of Outreach & Engagement, has been selected as one of 12 “Engaged Scholars” nationwide as part of the Engaged Scholars Initiative of Campus Compact.

The initiative is a one-year leadership and professional development program that supports early career faculty and staff in strengthening their community-engaged scholarship. Each cohort consists of a diverse group of scholar-practitioners who are equipped to lead equity-focused change at their institution and in communities.

Huett and other scholars were selected based on their commitment to centering equity in their civic and community engagement work, Campus Compact officials said in the organization’s announcement.

Huett holds a Ph.D. in public policy, a master of science degree in statistics and analytics, and a master of public administration degree. She joined UConn in 2023 after serving as a postdoctoral research fellow at Drexel University and, earlier, as an instructor and Distinguished Doctoral Fellow at the University of Arkansas.

With a background and passion for public and nonprofit work, Huett’s professional goals are to connect academic teaching and research with community knowledge expertise to improve access to — and equitable practices within — public services.

“I am extremely excited to be joining this year’s cohort,” she says. “This is an incredible opportunity to find new ways to identify and improve the community-engaged work happening across all UConn campuses and to build collaboration-driven infrastructure for our institution to meet the goals stated in our new Strategic Plan.”

Members of the cohort hold a wide variety of roles on their campuses, but each has a demonstrated history of effective civic and community engagement work. They come from Campus Compact member institutions throughout the country, representing 10 institutions – including UConn – across 10 states.

“As the state’s land grant university, our mission promotes community-engaged scholarship and public impact,” says Amy Gorin, UConn’s vice provost for health sciences and interdisciplinary initiatives. “We are proud to have Briana represent UConn in the Engaged Scholars Initiative, and look forward to the innovative contributions she will bring to our institution and beyond.”

Over the course of the academic year, Engaged Scholars will participate in bi-weekly virtual meetings, twice-yearly in-person retreats, and collaborative scholarly work to strengthen their own critical community-engaged scholarship. The aim of the program is to strengthen individual and collective scholarship, research, and impact and empower participants to lead change within their institutions and communities.

“I am excited to welcome a group of scholars who have already demonstrated such passion and dedication to the power of community engagement across disciplines and areas of practice,” says Nicole Springer, senior director of professional development and scholarship & chief equity officer at Campus Compact.

“Each year, cohorts of Engaged Scholars pursue remarkable collaborations, connections, and scholarship that contribute to their own individual leadership and the growth of the field of higher education civic and community engagement,” Springer adds. “I cannot wait to see the results of this group engaging in this transformative process.”

The Engaged Scholars Initiative is led by Campus Compact and is offered in partnership with the Office of Engagement at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, whose thought leadership, in-kind staffing, and financial support are critical to the program’s success.