The following is a news release from the Texas Tech University:
Texas Tech University’s Early Head Start (EHS) program has been designated as the campus’s newest center, following approval from the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents.
As an initiative of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) in the College of Human Sciences, the center exists to promote areas of child care, parent education, health and well-being and family sustainability.
“The Human Development and Family Studies department is thrilled that Early Head Start has earned a center designation,” said HDFS chairwoman Ann Mastergeorge. “We look forward to future research collaborations and partnerships with scholars who study the impact of early intervention on developmental trajectories.”
Before going to the Board of Regents, the application was approved by the Office of the Vice President for Research.
“We are honored to become a center and to join the Child Development Research Center and the Center for Adolescent Resiliency in HDFS,” said Stephanie Shine, executive director of EHS. “After having expanded in the community of East Lubbock, we seek to become a center of excellence in terms of research projects and funding that focus on our mission of supporting families with low incomes.”
As part of the application requirements, EHS needed to give six-year benchmarks for publications, creative activities, service functions, academic activities, grant proposals, grants awarded and total research dollars to be generated.
Michael O’Boyle, associate dean for research in the College of Human Sciences, emphasized the importance of this momentous occasion.
“We in the College of Human Sciences are delighted by the fact that Early Head Start has been awarded center status, which reflects formal acknowledgement by the university that the center is committed to cutting-edge research informing best practice,” O’Boyle said. “Its activities will undoubtedly enhance the well-being of children and families in the Lubbock area and beyond.”
According to campus procedures, a university-recognized center like EHS is defined as a unit composed of faculty, staff and students who are interested in pursuing shared research, instruction and/or outreach as an enterprise. Often, these may include cooperative research and scholarship, shared resources, operations, facilities and personnel.
“We look forward to working with other university-based Early Head Start programs on collaborative research projects,” Shine said.
CONTACT:
Ashley Brister, multimedia specialist, Office of Marketing & Communications, College of Human Sciences, Texas Tech University, (806) 834-1422 or ashley.brister@ttu.edu
(News release from Texas Tech University)
