The Miami University Center for Community Engagement (MUCCE) recently won the Society for Applied Anthropology’s (SfAA) Robert A. and Beverly H. Hackenberg Prize for its continued excellence working in Community, Advocacy, and Education and Engagement. 

John Blake, director of MUCEE, stays loyal to the greater Oxford area.

“We practice within the community because of their invitation,” Blake said. “Our community partners and neighbors are the greatest mentors.” 

Hackenberg’s efforts in anthropology inspired Blake’s approach.

“We're honored to be recognized as part of an academic lineage that recognizes the importance of a reciprocal transfer of knowledge and experience,” Blake said.

The award will be presented in late March at the SfAA’s Annual Conference. With it comes $2,000, which MUCEE intends to allocate to immersive, interdisciplinary experiences for Miami and the civilians at its Cincinnati storefront. 

The two-decade-old organization especially appeals to students, with its semester-long Residency Program partnered with Miami’s Urban Cohort, which spans all studies from architecture to social justice. 

The Urban Cohort is designed to immerse Miami students in the day-to-day life that primarily stretches across Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine (OTR) neighborhood. Students live in the area, while working alongside the community to solve the social problems that local residents face.

Those who participate often tackle important issues pertaining to homelessness, poverty, violence, poor housing conditions, and more. It all leads to what Tammy Schwartz, Urban Cohort director, calls “deep heart work.”

Students who want to learn more should reach out to Blake to express interest in joining.