Affiliated Faculty and Staff

Hiram E. Fitzgerald received his Ph.D. degree in developmental psychology (1967) from the University of Denver. Currently he is University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology and Associate Provost for University Outreach and Engagement at Michigan State University. He is president of the Engagement Scholarship Consortium, a member of the Executive Committee of the Council on Engagement and Outreach of the Association for Public and Land Grant Universities, a member of the Board of Directors of Transformative Regional Engagement Networks, and a member of the Academy for Community Engagement Scholarship task force. Fitzgerald is past president and executive director of both the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health and the International Association for Infant Mental Health, and for 16 years (1992-2008) served as executive director of the World Association for Infant Mental Health. He has been associated with the Michigan Longitudinal Study of Family Risk for Alcoholism over the Life Course for 25 years, is a member of the Steering Committee of the Early Head Start National Evaluation Research Consortium and its Father and Risk Work Groups, chairs the MSU Wiba Anung Early Head Start/Head Start research team monitoring work force development and early childhood education in partnership with the Intertribal Council of Michigan, is scientific advisor to the American Indian/Alaska Native Head Start Research Center at the University of Colorado, Denver, is a member of the Native Children's Research Exchange, and is a member of a variety of interdisciplinary research teams focusing on the evaluation of community-based early preventive-intervention programs in Michigan and the United States.

Fitzgerald's major areas of funded research include the study of infant and family development in community contexts, the impact of fathers on early child development, implementation of systemic community models of organizational process and change, the etiology of alcoholism, the digital divide and youth use of technologies, and broad issues related to the scholarship of engagement. He has published over 187 peer-reviewed journal articles, 76 chapters and 73 books, and is editor-in-chief of the Infant Mental Health Journal and Associate Editor of the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. He has received numerous awards, including the ZERO TO THREE Dolley Madison Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to the Development and Well Being of Very Young Children and the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health Selma Fraiberg Award, and is one of three recipients of the World Association for Infant Mental Health's Honorary President designation. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association of Psychological Science, and the American Association for Applied and Preventive Psychology.

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Karen McKnight Casey is the director of the award-winning Michigan State University (MSU) Service-Learning and Civic Engagement initiative. McKnight Casey is responsible for facilitating university endeavors that provide curricular and co-curricular, service-based learning, community and civic engagement opportunities for MSU students. She works closely with faculty, university administrators, students and community partners to ensure that opportunities are offered that meet academic, personal, professional, and civic development goals, while simultaneously addressing the community-generated requests related to service and capacity-building. In addition to her role as director, McKnight Casey serves as adjunct with the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, and as field instructor in the School of Social Work, of which she is an alumna. Her background includes service in the Peace Corps, work as a resident director and academic advisor, and extensive professional experience working in community non-profit organizations. She is published in the areas of university-community collaborations and service-learning practice and research, and presents at national and international conferences. McKnight Casey represents Michigan State University in Campus Compact's The Research University Civic Engagement Network (TRUCEN), and participates with a variety of state and community committees and boards.

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John H. Schweitzer, Ph.D., is a professor in the Center for Community and Economic Development and an adjunct professor in the National Collaborative for the Study of University Engagement and the School of Planning, Design and Construction at MSU. He uses his knowledge of the social science research process to study the impact and effectiveness of educational and social programs and policies. His research interests include the measurement, study, and strengthening of the sense of community of residents in urban neighborhoods in order to promote empowerment and pro-social behaviors such as voting, recycling, volunteering, and participation in community-based organizations. Current projects include an evaluation of an effort to stimulate the knowledge economy in upper Michigan, a study of outreach and engagement in tenure and promotion processes, and an examination of the impact of the built environment on outdoor exercise. He has served as a Fulbright lecturer in Singapore and as a consultant/evaluator for numerous city, state, and federal agencies. In addition to teaching a variety of courses in statistics, research methodology, educational measurement, and program evaluation, Dr. Schweitzer has formally served on doctoral and master's committees for over 100 graduate students in 21 different departments at MSU, and he has informally assisted a similar number of graduate students with various aspects of their research.

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Laurie Van Egeren, Ph.D., is the director of the Community Evaluation and Research Collaborative. She served as the co-director of the National Collaborative for the Study of University Engagement from 2008-2013. She conducts both program evaluations and basic research funded by federal, state, and local grants and contracts. Among those are the Michigan 21st Century Community Learning Centers statewide evaluation. Van Egeren also conducts evaluation and research in STEM education, early intervention in low-income families and families with autistic children, economic and community development, and coparenting and family relationships. Her research interests are in applications of dosage in community programs, organizational contributions to individual outcomes, and evaluation use. She holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology and an M.A. in child and family clinical psychology from Michigan State University.

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