Page Trusty co-authors article on nonprofit, academic research partnerships

Kelly Trusty, Ph.D., associate professor in the Ketner School of Business at Trine University, co-authored an article published in the most recent edition of the Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership.

“Collaboration Between Practitioners and Academics: Defining the Pracademic Experience” better defines the term “pracademic” and explores examples of research partnerships between nonprofit academics and nonprofit managers. It also seeks to understand how such partnerships can be strengthened.

“The project evolved from conversations between academic researchers studying nonprofit theory and nonprofit practitioners seeking best practices to inform their work,” Trusty said. “Often these two groups work in silos, which keeps them from understanding how theory can help practice and practice can help define and defend theory. This research provides recommendations of how they can work as partners to discover ways to improve the work they both do, making it more relevant and accessible.”

Trusty designed the methodology for the project, and collected and analyzed the data.

Her co-authors were Emma Powell, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Central Michigan University; Georgina Winfield, director of volunteer services at St. Luke’s Hospital; and Alicia M. Schatteman, associate professor, School of Public and Global Affairs, joint faculty with the Department of Public Administration and the Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies at Northern Illinois University.