APLU Honors University of Montana for Public Impact Research Efforts

Orlando, FL – In recognition of extraordinary public impact, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) today named the University of Montana as the winner of the 2024 Public Impact Research Award for its work spearheading Project SELA (Social Emotional Learning in Arlee), a university research practice partnership working to promote mental health on the Flathead Indian Reservation.

“Congratulations to the University of Montana on winning the Public Impact Research Award for its outstanding efforts to support mental health in tribal communities,” said APLU President Mark Becker. “Research that improves the lives of communities across the country is a central mission for public universities and we’re thrilled to highlight an institution that has worked with its community to tackle mental health challenges in areas that are far too often underserved.”

The APLU Public Impact Research Award recognizes an institution that has implemented one or more impactful Public Impact Research (PIR) efforts that have produced exceptional outcomes. PIR is a broad label to describe how university research improves lives and serves society—locally, regionally, nationally, and globally.

The University of Montana’s Project SELA is a research-practice partnership between University of Montana researchers and educators, parents, and community members of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes who live on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Born out of the community’s desire to address a growing mental health crisis, Project SELA directly responds to the community’s needs through a collaborative process to develop and implement a culturally relevant social-emotional learning program in Arlee schools.

Project SELA has engaged with a community advisory board, educational leadership, teachers, school counselors, parents, and students to co-design a mental health wellness program based on social-emotional learning practices paired with the cultural values of the tribes. Through a seven-year process, the project first piloted the curriculum among students in grades 3-6. In 2023, it expanded to include K-2 and the project is in the process for expansion into grades 7-8.

The Arlee community has seen many qualitative benefits from the curriculum, including improved social-emotional competencies in children. Because of this impact, the school board has formally integrated the program into the curriculum for grades K-6.

In addition to the impact felt by the community, the researchers published several studies on Project SELA to share best practices and increase the evidence base on improving mental health among tribal communities. This is particularly significant, given the lack of research on education in Indigenous communities, particularly rural Indigenous communities.

Public Impact Research is a broad and inclusive term encompassing multi-disciplinary research, community-engaged research, research grand challenges, research-practice partnerships, participatory research, translational and use-inspired research, co-production, and other approaches. An outside group of Public Impact Research experts assessed applications for the award.