MANDEL SCHOOL
NEWS AND EVENTS
August 22, 2011
Begun Center Ushers in New Era at MSASS
More than 100 community members, faculty members and staff from Case Western Reserve University attended a welcome reception on August 18 for The Dr. Semi J. and Ruth W. Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education. The event ushered in a new chapter for The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences (MSASS), which heralded the arrival of Daniel Flannery, PhD, and his research team from Kent State University this past July.
"It's a big team here — a very talented team," said Dean Grover "Cleve" Gilmore. "This is a group that will continue to make a great impact that fits into the mission of our school."
Flannery and his 23-member staff are renowned experts on youth violence prevention. Over the years, they have been involved with several collaborative projects with law enforcement officers, community nonprofits and government organizations.
Guests from local nonprofits, including Starting Point, Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services, Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority and The Council of Neighborhood Leaders, were on hand to greet Flannery and learn his vision for the future. Blaine Griffin, executive director for the Community Relations Board, City of Cleveland, believes the addition of Flannery offers "an exciting addition" to the violence prevention community.
"I have had the privilege of working with these gentlemen on violence prevention efforts in the City of Cleveland for the last six years," Griffin said. "I believe Dr. Flannery, Dr. Singer and their team will help violence prevention professionals and community leaders develop innovative violence prevention efforts in the greater Cleveland area."
Flannery’s arrival is essentially a new beginning for Begun, as well as Governing Director Mark Singer, the Leonard W. Mayo Professor of Family & Child Welfare, who has managed the Begun Center since 2009. Singer, Flannery and Mandel School researchers will continue to focus on work that impacts the community "and gives residents and non-profit organizations the tools and skills they need to thrive and move forward," Gilmore said.
Making Room for Begun Staff
While addressing guests at the event, Gilmore also spoke about the team's temporary office space on Euclid Avenue near the Case Western Reserve campus. The group will join the larger MSASS community once a plan to renovate and expand the current facility is finalized in the near future.
For Flannery, his arrival at Case Western Reserve is a reunion of sorts. He recalled how his team at Kent State first collaborated with Ruth Begun back in 1998.
"I've been working with MSASS for about the last 20 years, addressing the issues of impoverished neighborhoods, police protection, and youth violence," Flannery told the group. "This is a 24/7, 365-day issue we are dealing with, and I'm excited that we have the opportunity to be in Cleveland to continue our work here."
"I wouldn't be here without Dean Gilmore's support, investment and vision on how we could help continue our work at the Mandel School," Flannery added. "We talked about how we could move our team, and Cleve made it happen."
With Cleveland ranked No. 2 in poverty for large cities and with two of the city's neighborhoods listed among the most violent in the country, Gilmore said Flannery's research will have direct and local impact. Flannery's group generates about $2.5 million annually to support its work with funds from a variety of public and private sources.