Following a nationwide search, Public Scholarship and Engagement is pleased to welcome our new Director of Engagement, Stacey Muse, who began in her official capacity on April 13, 2020. 

Muse will serve in a leadership role to administer, develop, and evaluate academic programs closely related to public service and outreach of UC Davis. Engagement programs will have a broad, interdisciplinary scope, encompassing UC Davis’ ten colleges and schools while involving public, non-profit and private agencies through mutually beneficial collaborations. 

“We want UC Davis to serve as a national model that integrates engagement into the research and teaching mission of the university. Having Stacey join our team, given her experience with community engagement in both higher education and the non-profit sector, will be a tremendous asset toward achieving that goal,” said Vice Provost Michael Rios.

Muse holds a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Denver where she studied the public good mission of institutions of higher education and the impact of community-university partnerships. She also holds a master’s degree in nonprofit management and leadership from the University of San Diego. She has worked in the higher education and nonprofit sectors building strategic partnerships for the public good for the past 15 years. 

Most recently, Muse served as the executive director of Nevada Volunteers, the state's commission on service. In this role, Muse led efforts in fulfilling the organization's mission of strengthening Nevada through national service and volunteerism. Additionally, Muse led the Office of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her work centered on increasing civic engagement, building the capacity of nonprofit organizations, and connecting research to action. Stacey serves on the board of directors for the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement. Her research interests include understanding and elevating the voice of community-based organizations partnering with institutions of higher education, building the capacity of nonprofit organizations, and co-creating democratically engaged partnerships.

Muse, a native of California’s Central Valley, says she is "excited to connect with communities across the region and deepen the community-engaged work of UC Davis." 

In her new role as Director of Engagement, Muse will take a lead in realizing Public Scholarship and Engagement's goal to increase mutually beneficial community engagement and public impact. This includes developing publicly-facing and community-serving initiatives and programs; facilitating external requests for research, teaching, and technical assistance; as well as new partnerships between non-university groups and faculty, and supporting partnerships already in place. 

About Public Scholarship and Engagement

Public Scholarship and Engagement (PSE) is building and supporting meaningful relationships between communities and UC Davis scholars that work together to solve today’s problems and tomorrow’s challenges.

We envision a university unbound that seeks to serve the public, equitably and inclusively, resulting in reciprocal and mutual benefit to California’s communities and beyond.