UC Research Resource Center to Serve San Joaquin Valley

An innovative community-university partnership to empower San Joaquin Valley residents to analyze and communicate their most pressing challenges launches in Fresno this month.

The Participatory Action Research Resource Center (PARRC) will strengthen residents' skills in using research to improve their lives. It will also promote research collaborations between the University of California and other higher education institutions and communities.

UC Merced Professor Robin DeLugan, UC Davis Professor Jonathan London and Rey León, director of the San Joaquin Valley Latino Environmental Advancement Project (Valley LEAP), are collaborating to establish and grow the center.

“The PARRC will highlight the value of research for grassroots and community-based problem-solving efforts," said DeLugan, a leader in community-engaged scholarship at UC Merced. "Accordingly, we hope it will motivate new community-university research collaborations."

León, DeLugan and London are also founding members of Community University Research and Action for Justice (CURAJ), a network of academic and community leaders from throughout the region. CURAJ was awarded last year a nearly $15,000 grant to establish the center from the new UC Center for Collaborative Research for an Equitable California.

The grand opening of the PARRC will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Feb. 14 at the center, 2502 Merced St. in Fresno. A reception will follow. The organizers said everyone interested in this center is welcome to come and celebrate this valuable university-community partnership.