Digital Commons Network^™

Building Students’ Civic And Moral Responsibility And Assessing Outcomes Through Service Learning, Lori Moog

Gulf South Summit on Service-Learning (Archived)

Colleges and Universities have great potential to make a positive difference in meeting community needs and addressing complex social and economic problems through service learning because it is a distinct program from other campus-community partnerships due to its deliberate intent to work collaboratively through service that is linked to course work. Developing service learning programs that engage students in meeting community needs also helps students meet their own educational goals. Integrating service and academic study optimizes resources for the community. Because of these mutually beneficial goals, service learning fits into higher education’s mission of service to the community. Moreover, in …

Demo 24, Columbia College Chicago

Alumni Newsletters

Alumni newsletter from Spring - Summer 2016 entitled "DEMO 24." This issue is 60 pages.

Ua77/1 Wku Spirit, Wku Alumni Relations

WKU Administration Documents

WKU's alumni magazine. Contents:

• Ransdell, Gary. Letter from the President
• From College to University: WKU Pylon
• WKU Honored for Programs Helping Veterans, Students in the Military
• Larry Snyder Named Dean of Potter College of Arts & Letters
• Brian Kuster to Lead Student Affairs for Next 2 Years
• Confucius Institute at WKU Honored at Global Conference
• 2 Gatton Academy of Mathematics & Science Students Named Emperor Science Award Winners
• WKU Student Awarded U.S. Foreign Service Internship – Alexandria Knipp
• WKU Continues to Climb in Open Doors Study Abroad Rankings
• U.S. News Ranks WKU Online Programs Among Best in Nation
• Family & …

Cultural Capital: An Investigation In Community Sustainability, Harrison Luft

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study analyzed the place and role of cultural capital within the existing community sustainability framework. The purpose of the study was to look at the organization Graos de Luz e Grio and analyze their strategies in education, dialogue, culture, empowerment, and sustainability with young people and with the community. It was built upon a review of the literature, which found that although culture is included in the current sustainability framework, it is not given the necessary credit it deserves in shaping populations. The study was conducted over four weeks in the city of Lençóis, located in the interior of …

Outcomes From In-Person Interdisciplinary Continuing Education For Autism And Online Delivery Of The Same Content, Rachel Ann Trayner

Theses and Dissertations

Because of the growing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there is an increased need for effective professional training models for autism treatment and education. Individuals with ASD receive care and therapy across multiple disciplines, so such training models should also be interdisciplinary in nature. In the medical field, pediatricians, nurses, psychiatrists, and many others work with individuals with ASD. In the education field, teachers, speech language pathologists, school psychologists, and others work with children with ASD. Some therapists work in both systems. Thus far, there has been little research done considering training delivery models (i.e., in-person and online training) …

Evaluating Restorative Justice: A Guide For Practitioners, Nakee Yalon Holloway

All Capstone Projects

Restorative Justice (RJ) Programs exist in schools, workplaces, communities, the justice system, and other community and organizational settings and are targeted at various populations. In spite of numerous restorative interventions, there have been few comprehensive evaluations of those interventions that document RJ successes or provide evidence to increase the likelihood of success. RJ is responsive and emergent in nature; it is dynamic and ever changing. It is not a program with a linear path from idea to design to implementation to outcomes. RJ presents challenges to traditional approaches to research, such as process evaluations and long-term outcome studies. This research …

An Examination Of Perspectives On Community Poverty: A Case Study Of A Junior Civic Association, Monica Heimos Heimos

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nonprofit organizations have become a necessary staple in the lives of people and communities experiencing poverty. Many of these organizations provide services that they think their communities need. The solutions and services these organizations provide are incumbent on what the organizations think causes poverty. Although the motivations behind these organizations have good intentions, their approach to poverty could further jeopardize people and communities by not providing proper or necessary services that have the ability to help people get out of poverty. To explore how organizational values and perspectives on poverty are operationalized, I examined one nonprofit grassroots organization in Tampa …

Boom, Bust And Beyond: Arts And Sustainability In Calumet, Michigan, Richelle Winkler, Lorri Oikarinen, Heather L. Simpson, Melissa Michaelson, Mayra Sanchez Gonzalez

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Cycles of boom and bust plague mining communities around the globe, and decades after the bust the skeletons of shrunken cities remain. This article evaluates strategies for how former mining communities cope and strive for sustainability in the decades well beyond the bust, using a case study of Calumet, Michigan. In 1910, Calumet was at the center of the mining industry in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but in the century since its peak, mining employment steadily declined until the last mine closed in 1968, and the population declined by over 80%. This paper explores challenges, opportunities, and progress toward …

Community Involvement Within Your Organization, Chris Gale, Mark Jacob

Purdue Road School

Active community involvement programs within your organization allow the engineering community to serve one another while promoting a positive work environment and strengthening the communities that are being served. Various community involvement programs will be presented that provide positive mentoring skills and/or public service to various organizations. Ongoing community involvement programs in two large organizations will be presented. Time will be allowed for questions and further dialogue on individual program successes.

Capacity To Implement Performance Measurement In Small Nonprofits, Claire C. Knox, Xiaohu Wang

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

The use of performance measurement systems in the nonprofit sector has gained momentum in the last decade; however, little is known about the implementation of these systems in small to midsized nonprofit organizations. By performing a pathway case study of nine nonprofit organizations, we apply a capacity-building framework to examine performance measurement implementations designed by a performance management consulting team. This study offers a detailed description, in some cases using nonprofit leaders’ own words, on how this approach may work in small to midsized nonprofits. The results are used to develop research propositions on leadership, technical competency, feasible execution, and …

Neighborhoods Of Opportunity: Developing An Operational Definition For Planning And Policy Implementation, Kelly L. Patterson, Robert Mark Silverman, Li Yin, Laiyun Wu

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

This article synthesizes existing literature to examine the emerging concept of neighborhoods of opportunity and places it in the context of past efforts to define neighborhood opportunity. Place-based and people-based approaches to urban revitalization and community development are linked to this concept. The place-based approach focuses on promoting inner-city revitalization in order to create neighborhoods of opportunity and the people-based approach focuses on connecting people to opportunities that already exist in the regions where they live. These approaches are examined in relation to how they influence emerging models for siting affordable housing in both distressed inner-cities and more opportunity rich …

Ua66 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Newsletter, Cheryl Stevens, Dean

Ogden College of Science & Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

Some Dimensions Of Farmers'-Pastoralists' Conflicts In The Nigerian Savanna, Mayowa Fasona, Eniola Fabusoro, Comfort Sodiya, Vide Adedayo, Felix Olorunfemi, Peter Omu Elias, John Oyedepo, Grace Oloukoi

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The savanna ecosystem covers about 48.5% of Nigeria’s land area. It is a national common for intensive cropping and extensive grazing. Fierce competition for land and water resources among the crop farmers and pastoralists is a common feature. This article shares insights from two separate, but linked, studies conducted in the Nigerian savanna on the livelihood and food security of the local peasant farming communities and the vulnerability of the settled Fulani agro-pastoralists’ livelihoods. Household interviews, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews were employed among both the farming and agro-pastoralist communities. 191 respondents in 11 local farming communities and …

The Application Of Geospatial Analytical Techniques In The Assessment Of Land Use Conflicts Among Farmers And Cross-Boundary Nomadic Cattle Herders In The Gombe Region, Nigeria, Whanda J. Shittu, Mala Galtima, Dan Yakubu

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

In Nigeria, many land use conflicts among the teeming rural agrarian communities in the northern parts of the country are often wrongly attributed to ethno-religious differences while ignoring the salient role environmental degradation, climate change, and urbanization play in exacerbating the conflicts. The two traditional farming groups (crop producers and cattle herders) that contribute immensely to the country’s food security are in constant conflict, thereby threatening sustainable agricultural production. The objective in this article is to investigate the nature and extent of land use changes in the Gombe region using geospatial analytical techniques and assess the implications on land conflicts. …

Collaboration In An Era Of Change: New Forms Of Community Problem-Solving, Judith A. Ramaley

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

Campuses are developing new ways to respond to complex social, cultural, economic and environmental problems by adapting their educational approaches and their scholarship to address a changing world order. At the same time, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and businesses are embracing collaborative approaches to community problem-solving. These collaborative approaches, on and off campus, are creating new forms of university-community engagement that will require us to rethink the nature of the societal roles we play and how we generate knowledge, create an inspiring educational environment, and assist our students in acquiring the knowledge and skills they will need to work effectively …

Metropolitan Governance Reform, Myron Orfield, Baris Dawes

Local Government Reconsidered

"The highly fragmented nature of the political systems that govern America’s metropolitan areas contributes mightily to all of these problems. The harms of political fragmentation are many and tightly interrelated. The excessive competition triggered by political fragmentation encourages local jurisdictions to pursue socially and economically undesirable policies. Cities steal malls and office parks from each other, fight tax incentive wars for auto malls, and zone out the poor for fiscal advantage in a process rife with haphazard planning and NIMBY biases. This disjointed status quo scatters new jobs like grapeshot at the furthest edge of development and in so doing …

The Changing Geography Of Poverty & Opportunity In Nevada, Elizabeth Kneebone

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Today, suburbs are home to the largest and fastest growing poor population in the country. Regions like Las Vegas have been at the forefront of that trend since 2000. Elizabeth Kneebone, co-author of the book Confronting Suburban Poverty in America, will discuss the rapid growth of poverty and concentrated disadvantage in the suburbs; how these trends intersect with the changing location of affordable housing, services, transit, and jobs; and what the changing geography of poverty means for policymakers and practitioners in Nevada working to promote economic opportunity throughout the state.

Reclaiming Futures And Organizing Justice For Drug-Using Youth, Jeffrey A. Butts, Kathleen A. Tomberg, Jennifer Peirce, Douglas N. Evans, Angela Irvine

Publications and Research

Reclaiming Futures is an organizational change initiative that supports coordinated and individualized responses for justice-involved youth with problematic substance use issues. The Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice compared people's perceptions currently working in Reclaiming Futures communities with similar colleagues from nearly ten years ago. The study suggested that communities with the strongest engagement in Reclaiming Futures tended to have more positive perceptions of their youth justice and substance abuse treatment systems, including key facets of administration, collaboration, and overall system quality.

Influence Of Urban Disturbances, Soil Properties, And Other Abiotic And Biotic Factors On L. Maackii Invasions Of Remnant Urban Riparian Hardwood Forests, Taylor B. Johnson

Environmental Studies: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Urbanization is a global demographic trend that may have significant and detrimental effects on adjacent urban ecosystems. Lonicer Maackii (L. maackii), commonly referred to as Amur honeysuckle, is an invasive shrub that has invaded the remnant temperate hardwood forests of Rock Island County, IL. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of urbanization and urban soil properties on the degree of L. maackii invasion throughout this county next to the Mississippi river. Soil samples were tested at 36 forest sites for Soil Organic Matter and Soil texture. Linear regression models were ran on the results of …

Evaluating The Impact Of Sustainable Built Environment Commitments And Outcomes On Respiratory Health: A Longitudinal Case Study Of Two Texas Cities, Colleen Casey

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

As population continues to grow the need for creating efficient and effective built environments that balance the three pillars of sustainability, environment, economic and equity, becomes even more pertinent. This exploratory research assisted in bridging the gap between understanding sustainable policy development and resulting impact on the corresponding outcomes, including influences from political culture. Followed by an overarching view of the changes in sustainable built environment outcomes over the course of nine years and how these outcomes influenced air quality measurements and inpatient asthma discharges. The case study methodology, established by Yin (2014), was utilized to address the research questions …

Community Planners’ Perceptions On Balancing Wellbeing And Development In Wasatch Mountain Communities, Kent Taylor Dean

Research on Capitol Hill

The Wasatch Mountains are home to 80% of Utah's population. As part of a larger study of the Wasatch Mountains for a growing Global Network of Mountain Observatories (GNOMO), this research was conducted to assess perceptions of city planners in Wasatch Mountain communities using qualitative interviews. Questions focused on perceived values or benefits and vulnerabilities or threats associated with living in or near the Wasatch Mountains as well as key issues for sustainability.

Psychological And Economic Self-Sufficiency Among Low-Income Jobseekers With Physical Disability Barriers, Philip Young P. Hong, Hayley Sneiderman Stokar, Sangmi Choi

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

The purpose of this research is to investigate the process of psychological empowerment by way of examin- ing the effects of perceived employment barrier on employment hope, and employment hope on economic self-suffi- ciency. A structural equation modeling analysis was used with a sample of 517 participants in a job readiness program of a community-based social service organization in Chicago. Results indicate that employment hope mediates the path between perceived barriers and economic self-sufficiency. Findings provide preliminary evidence to support an em- powerment-based approach to rehabilitation, promoting self-sufficiency among people with physical disabilities using interventions that address employment barriers and …

What's In A Name? A Critical Review Of Definitions Of Quantitative Literacy, Numeracy, And Quantitative Reasoning, Gizem Karaali, Edwin H. Villafane Hernandez, Jeremy A. Taylor

Numeracy

This article aims to bring together various threads in the eclectic literature that make up the scholarship around the theme of Quantitative Literacy. In investigating the meanings of terms like "quantitative literacy," "quantitative reasoning," and "numeracy," we seek common ground, common themes, common goals and aspirations of a community of practitioners. A decade ago, these terms were relatively new in the public sphere; today policy makers and accrediting agencies are routinely inserting them into general education conversations. Having good, representative, and perhaps even compact and easily digestible definitions of these terms might come in handy in public relations contexts as …

Rivers Institute Strategic Plan, University Of Dayton. Fitz Center For Leadership In Community

Rivers Institute Publications

Due to continued campus and community support, exceptional student leadership and the power of building a community around rivers, the Rivers Institute embarked on a new strategic planning process during the 2014-15 academic year with more than 30 participants. The result was a new vision, mission and long-term plan to 2020, which identified three main goals and many initiatives to help achieve each.

Transfer Pathways Beyond Articulation: A Partnership Initiative Between National Louis University And Triton Community College, Sherri Bressman, Ayn Keneman, Kristin Lems, Jason Stegemoller, Mary Ann Olson, Mary Rinchiuso

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Green Buildings: Lease Structure, Productivity, And Regional Economic Impacts, Eun Kyu Lee

ETD Archive

In an effort to apply the sustainability movement to the built environment, sustainable construction has gained substantial strength and momentum in global society. A growing body of literature reveals the positive effects of sustainable, or green, buildings in terms of real estate market premiums, energy cost savings, employee productivity, and regional economic growth. In this context, my dissertation examines three research topics pertaining to sustainable buildings, and does so in three separate chapters.

The first study discusses the effect of lease structure on the tenant’s willingness to pay for energy-efficient building features, and compares the tenant’s stated willingness to pay …

Nuisance And Call For Service Data Analysis, Dr. Jennifer Burnham, Kristin Schoenecker, Irene Mekus, Melisa Ribikawskis

2015-2016: Clinton, Iowa

No abstract provided.

Clinton Fire Prevention, Dr. Sharon Varallo, Mike Tortorelli, Grant Slater, Colin Hepner

2015-2016: Clinton, Iowa

No abstract provided.

Clinton Citizen Survey, Jeremy Koranda, Ladonna Miller, Emily Spillios, Dr. Marsha Smith, Dr. Paul Croll

2015-2016: Clinton, Iowa

No abstract provided.

Downtown Parking Analysis, Dr. Jason Plume

2015-2016: Clinton, Iowa

No abstract provided.