The Center is charged with four primary activities to insure that it accomplishes its goals, these four activities are:
Establish Task Forces
Task forces will evaluate professions within one of the following
four professional areas: law; education; health services; and
human services. The task forces will prioritize their work so
that the needs of teachers, school administrators, guidance
counselors, law enforcement officers, lawyers, physicians,
nurses, psychologists, and social workers are addressed first.
The task forces will develop and carry out an evaluation and intervention strategy that effectively assesses and recommends changes in current professional programs, licensing, and accreditation standards relating to professional responsibilities in addressing violence, abuse, and harassment. Their plans and recommendations for revising the preparation, licensing, and continuing education of professionals will be compiled in a report for the Legislature and the Higher Education Coordinating Board. The Center will assist all of the professions in formulating the integration of recommended training for their members by providing a list of trainers, curriculum and resources on all forms of violence, abuse, and harassment.
Convene Conferences and Regional Meetings
The Center will facilitate and co-sponsor conferences on topics
related to violence and abuse that are initiated by institutions
of higher education in collaboration with community-based
Minnesota organizations. The Center will act as co-sponsor of
targeted conferences and, when possible, provide staff assistance
and resources. The Center will convene an annual statewide
conference focused on "Higher Educations's Role in Ending
Violence and Abuse". This conference will feature academic,
professional, and community representatives and will highlight
ways in which higher education can play multiple roles in ending
violence and abuse.
A regional strategy, using six regions, has been planned to facilitate the Center's outreach activities. The first regional planning meeting took place on January 9, 1994 in Duluth, at the College of St. Scholastica. Representatives from six counties participated in setting the format and public relations objectives for the Regional Outreach Meeting to be held on Wednesday, March 1, 1994. The purpose of the meeting will be to provide knowledge of the Center's work, awareness of the region's issues related to violence and abuse, and to identify specific issues related to the Center's mission. Please contact Mary Litsheim, the conference and regional meeting coordinator, for further information.
Operate and maintain an Electronic Cclearinghouse on Violence Issues
The Center has developed an electronic clearinghouse of
information that can assist faculty and staff in developing
higher education curricula on violence and abuse. The
clearinghouse supports professional education for working with
victims/survivors and perpetrators. Information in the
clearinghouse is available to people in higher education
statewide and includes resources to assist all Minnesota
colleges, universities, and career schools. Written instructions
are available for easy access to the database which will vary
by terminal type and means of connection. The clearinghouse will
showcase information developed or written by violence and
harassment experts nationally as well as by experts in Minnesota.
Staff of the Center will maintain existing entries and input new information and resources regularly. Information is also available in paper format for users who do not have access to the Gopher computer network. Please contact David Seyfried, the clearinghouse coordinator, for a copy of access instructions and to ask questions or make recommendations about the clearinghouse.
Fund Pilot Projects
The Center provides funds to promote collaborative curriculum
and planning efforts between institutions of higher education,
independent professional organizations, and community based
programs.
Christine has worked closely with male and female athletes around the issues of sexual violence, responsibility and protection. Her research interests include moral development, leadership, and self-esteem. Christine has a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice and a Masters degree in Applied Behavioral Science with an emphasis in Organizational Administration.
Jeffrey Edleson, Evaluation and Planning
Jeffrey L. Edleson is a Professor in the University of Minnesota
School of Social Work. He has published over 50 articles and
several books on domestic violence, groupwork, and program
evaluation. He has provided technical assistance to domestic
violence programs and research projects across North America as
well as in Israel, Singapore, Madras (India), and Bucharest
(Romania).
Dr. Edleson is a member of the National Academy of Sciences' Panel on Research on Violence Against Women and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's Family and Intimate Violence Prevention Subcommittee. He is an Associate Editor of Violence Against Women: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal and on numerous editorial boards. His books include Working with Children and Adolescents in Groups, Intervention for Men who Batter: An Ecological Approach, and Ending the Cycle of Violence: Community Responses to Children of Battered Women.
Coreen Rohrberg, Principle Secretary
Coreen Rohrberg started as the new secretary in the Higher
Education Center Against Violence and Abuse on January 23, 1995.
Coreen was raised on a farm in southwest Iowa and obtained her
Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education from Northwest
Missouri State University. She taught junior high for
approximately 20 years and worked at two investment firms before
joining the University of Minnesota as a secretary in the Office
of Research and Technology Transfer Administration. She recently
completed her Master's Degree in Mathematics-Education. She is
a resident of St. Paul. She has stated that she has really enjoyed
working with the staff and is looking forward to watching the
program develop and grow.
Mary Rorris Litsheim, Graduate Assistant
Mary Litsheim is a Doctoral Student in Human Resources
Development at the U of M with a minor in Conflict and Change.
Her professional experience is focused in the areas of conflict
resolution training and mediation. She is on the Neutral Roster
of the Minnesota State Supreme Court. Mary recently received
the Delta Pi Epsilon award for "Outstanding Master's Research".
Mary's Master of Arts was focused in Training and Organization
Development. Mary's previous work at the University was
highlighted by receiving the Starr award for Staff and Faculty's
"Outstanding Contribution to Students". Mary is charged
with coordinating the conferences and regional meetings convened by
the Center.
David Seyfried, Graduate Assistant
David Seyfried is currently working on a Master of Arts degree
in Public Affairs with concentrations in Management of Public and
Non-profit Organizations and Social Policy at the Humphrey
Institute and a Master of Public Heath degree with a
concentration in Public Health Administration at the School of
Public Health. David holds a Bachelors degree in Political
Science from the University of Minnesota, Morris. For the past
three summers, David has worked as a Deputy for the Otter Tail
County Sheriff's Department. He previously worked as a Research
Assistant for the Minnesota Extension Service on a rural health
care access project. David is the coordinator of the Center's
clearinghouse and publications.
Gayle Edwards, Intern
Gayle is majoring in Social Work at the College of St.
Scholastica in Duluth. Gayle will be working on the Center's
Regional Meetings.
Peter Langlais, Intern
Peter is majoring in Graphic Arts at the University of Minnesota.
Peter will be working on the Center's Media and Public Relations.
Cheryl Wolken, Intern
Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the College
of St. Benedict in St. Joseph. Cheryl will be working with the
Advisory Board and Task Forces.
Bo Thao, Intern
Bo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Family Social Science from the
College of Human Ecology at the U of M. She currently works
with the Hmong Youth Association.
Region II - Marshall, MN
Thursday, March 16,1995
Place TBD
Region III - Rochester, MN
Thursday, March 23, 1995
Place TBD
Region IV - St. Cloud, MN
Thursday, April 6, 1995
Place TBD
Region V - Bemidji, MN
Thursday, April 20, 1995
Place TBD
Region VI - Saint Paul, MN
Thursday, May 4,1995
Place TBD
Violence in Education
February 24, 1995 8:30 - 4:30
University of St. Thomas - Minneapolis Campus
Violence in Mental Health Settings
April 11, 1995 8:30 - 4:30
College of St. Catherine
Registration Information is available from:
"Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Violence in the Workplace"
University of St. Thomas
LOR 405
2115 Summit Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55105
Fax: (612) 962-6410
New Publication
What Works in Preventing Rural Violence: Strategies, Risk
Factors, and Assessment Tools
Amherst H. Wilder Foundation Publishing Center
919 Lafond Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55104
HIGHER EDUCATION CENTER
AGAINST VIOLENCE AND ABUSE
386 McNeal Hall
1985 Buford Avenue
University of Minnesota
Saint Paul, MN 55108-6142
Phone: (612) 624-0721
In Minnesota: 1-800-646-2282
Facsimile: (612) 625-4288
Electronic Mail: Email Us
World Wide Web Site: http://www.mincava.umn.edu/
Last modified April 14, 1998 - kzb.
©Copyright 1995, Minnesota Center Against Violence & Abuse
