Dave Lassen, Ph.D.
Program Director
Program Director
Dave Lassen serves as the Community-Engaged Learning Program Director at the Center for Social Concerns. He facilitates and promotes best practices in community-engaged research, teaching, and learning (CERTL) among both University and community partners to co-create equitable and sustainable community-university partnerships and impact. He creates and manages a variety of accessible resources and events to advance outstanding CERTL practices, including individual consultations with community and university actors. Lassen is also a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory, a widely-used cross-cultural tool to assess intercultural competence.
Lassen received a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests include effective communication practices in community-university partnerships, the institutionalization of community-engaged research and learning in higher education, and enhancing civic engagement through community-university partnerships. In each aspect of his research, Lassen works to develop tools and resources that can be used to promote CERTL in campus and community settings. He has presented his work at a variety of conferences, including the annual meetings of the International Association for Research in Service-Learning and Community Engagement and the Engagement Scholarship Consortium. His dissertation examines the nature and consequences of humor in congressional communication. His research interests in political science center on mass political learning and participation. His work has appeared in a variety of publications, including the American Behavioral Scientist. Prior to joining the Center, Lassen held positions in community engagement at Oklahoma State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.