Critical Intersections: Public Scholars Creating Culture, Catalyzing Change

An Imagining America Research Report

By Erica Kohl-Arenas, Kal Alston, and Christina Preston

In this report, we provide an overview of the research agenda, the research and dialogue methodologies engaged, and findings from one aspect of the research: interviews with fifty change-oriented administrators, public scholars, and community-based culture keepers. The stories told here are the result of the wisdom and experiences of these generous individuals, interviewed by the lead research team: Erica Kohl-Arenas, Kal Alston, and Christina Preston. We also recognize research conducted by two engaged graduate scholars, Lizbeth De La Cruz Santana and Alana Stein, to better understand the challenges and opportunities of engaged graduate scholars at UC Davis. De La Cruz Santana and Stein have produced a separate report, which provides a detailed discussion of research aims, methods, findings, and recommendations (De La Cruz Santana and Stein, 2022). Similarly, Gale Greenlee and D. Romo conducted an in-depth study as part of this research initiative to better understand the experiences of graduate scholars in IA’s Publicly Active Graduate Education program. Greenlee and Romo will publish a report of their findings, including results from a national survey of engaged graduate scholars in 2023. The graduate scholar reports include findings from a combined 50 interviews along with a national survey.