Past Tense Regional Research Institute Research Partners have already told the story of how mentors made possible what I managed to accomplish. Missing from the mentoring tale, however, are the partners in the research I was able to accomplish. Almost all of my research involved partnerships with persons or parties external to the RRI and to the university, such as parents, families, other professions, employers, administrators, interest groups, or agencies at the community, county, state or regional level. Establishing partnerships with external groups is a signal characteristic of almost all of the research conducted by the Regional Research Institute for Human Services (RRI). That was true when I was director and has been ever since. The RRI is the research arm of Portland State University’s School of Social Work. The mission of the RRI is to conduct applied research on issues of social policy and practice, to clarify important issues with good questions, good data, and good conclusions that can assist the larger community in bringing about that change. Our community partners shared these interests and played a vital role in our research projects. They provided the scene of the action, the context of the problem and its solution, the scene of political action in relation to public policy. The diverse participants in research partnerships share a desire to make the world a better place. Within the research partnership, however, the role of the university researcher does require a delicate division of labor. The primary responsibility of those of us from the ivied halls is to be astute observers and scientifically disciplined analysts. The researcher from the university is at least one step outside the political and social action, and needs to be somewhat above the fray. Over the past 47 years, research partnerships have grown in size, number, variety, and richness of community participation. The sectors of society involved include parents, youth, families, employers, racial and ethnic groups, interest groups, community agencies, as well as local, county, state, and federal government agencies, and other universities. Historic RRI projects addressed juvenile delinquency, vocational rehabilitation, family permanency in child welfare, informal helping networks, dependent care arrangements of working parents and elders, and family partnerships in child mental health. The expanding scope of RRI projects has addressed domestic violence, youth transition to adulthood, youth futures, homelessness, housing, peer mentoring, self-determination, culturally-grounded methods, inclusion, supported employment, substance abuse, disease control, HIV prevention, and more. Research partners have played a crucial and continuing institutional role in Regional Research Institute’s research. --Art Emlen Note: The RAPS Historical Preservation Committee has edited this article. The full text is available in the Portland State University Archives. 6 I
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