LSU Reilly Center Launches Community Capacity Building Project, Invites Community Changemakers to Apply

April 28, 2021

BATON ROUGE—The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication is recruiting its inaugural cohort class for “The Community Collaborative: By the Community, For the Community.” The Center is seeking individuals interested in creating change in their communities to participate.

The Reilly Center will work with selected participants to identify collective solutions to community challenges. The program will feature a three-part training session led by 2021 Reilly Center Public Policy Fellow Katie Knobloch.

“Dr. Knobloch is a national expert in bringing community members together with the skills and tools to help citizens address important issues at the local level,” said Reilly Center Director Jenée Slocum. “We are excited she will lead this effort to establish this ongoing, annual civic engagement program.”

Knobloch, an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies and associate director of the Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University, will train 10 to 15 participants to understand community needs, solicit input in project development and create realistic projects.

“As a Manship School alumna, I’m excited to apply my experience in public engagement to my home state of Louisiana,” said Knobloch. “We encourage individuals from any background or community to apply, from city officials to residents looking to make a difference.”

Following Knobloch’s training sessions, participants will develop mini grant applications aimed at implementing their public projects. Applications will be reviewed by policy experts, and four participants will be selected to receive $5,000 each for project implementation. Grantees will be invited to share their project’s progress at the Reilly Center’s 2021 John Breaux Symposium focused on civic engagement for the common good.

To learn more and apply, visit the Reilly Center's "Community Events" webpage. Civic experience is not necessary to apply, and all participants will be financially compensated for their time. The participant application will be open until Monday, May 10.

For more information, contact Ana Block at ablock4@lsu.edu or (225) 335-5672.

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The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is partnership-driven, action-oriented and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center’s endeavors is to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national and state leadership in media and politics.

LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication ranks among the strongest collegiate communication programs in the country, with its robust emphasis on media and public affairs. It offers undergraduate degrees in public relations, journalism, political communication, digital advertising and pre-law, along with four graduate degree programs: master of mass communication, Ph.D. in media and public affairs, certificate of strategic communication, and dual MMC/law degree.