Digital Commons Network^™

Death Penalty Politics And Symbolic Law In Russia, Olga B. Semukhina, John F. Galliher

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

In contemporary Russia there is widespread support for the death penalty. Recent Russian presidents have endorsed the nation’s entry into the European Community (EC). The dilemma is that the price of membership into the EC is total abolition of capital punishment. The Russian Duma is much less popular than the president, even though it sides with public opinion in supporting capital punishment. Since 1997, these conflicting political positions have been temporarily neutralized by leaving capital punishment legislation in place but allowing the Russian president to offer clemency to all sentenced to death. In 1999, the Constitutional Court of Russia placed …

Weaving An Impactful Network, Anne E. Summers, Linda Honold

The Foundation Review

· The Brico Fund set out to test a common nonprofit theory of change: individual outputs lead to outcomes, leading to systems change. An alternate theory is that systems change happens through collective and strategic action of many organizations working together toward a common goal.

· This case study examines the implementation of this theory and describes the companion development of systems, structures, tools, and processes created in a cross-sector network of nonprofits. The evolution of Brico’s funding strategy is juxtaposed with the development of the network, revealing a unique funder/organization symbiosis, relying on each to provide expertise, thus fostering …

Measuring Dimensions Of Network Functioning: The Knowhow2go Network Survey, Tania Jarosewich, Nushina Mir, Linda Simkin

The Foundation Review

· As foundations more often encourage networks and other interorganizational strategies, they need tools to measure network effectiveness and outcomes. Gathering network members’ perspectives on their engagement with the network can provide insights and avenues for improvement.

· This article describes a network survey that was created for Lumina Foundation’s KnowHow2GO initiative, which focused on strengthening college access networks.

· The network survey measures five dimensions of effective networks: network management; sustainable service systems; data-driven decision making; policy and advocacy; and knowledge development and dissemination.

· The network survey provided useful information for the foundation, initiative partners, technicalassistance providers, network …

Designing For Learning: One Foundation’S Efforts To Institutionalize Organizational Learning, Rosanna Tran, Sanjay Shah

The Foundation Review

· This article explores the California HealthCare Foundation’s internal efforts, inspired in part by the process of design thinking, to institutionalize organizational learning.

· One outcome of this process has been a “grantmaking toolbox,” which represents an attempt to document new, effective, and innovative grantmaking tactics.

· While creating this toolbox, the foundation realized that the process of learning holds as much – if not more – value as the products of learning. Moreover, we gained three valuable insights that may be relevant for other foundations interested in advancing their learning efforts: effective learning is a collaborative, rather than an …

Book Review Of Practical Project Management For Agile Nonprofits: Approaches And Templates To Help You Manage With Limited Resources, Megan Murphy

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Student Behavior Alteration Techniques On Student Motives To Communicate, Student Talk, And Student Learning, Christopher J. Claus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation addressed the effects of students' perceived effectiveness of and likelihood to use student behavior alteration techniques (BATs) on students' motives to communicate with their instructors, student talk (i.e., willingness to talk, out-of-class communication), and student learning (i.e., cognitive learning, affective learning, state motivation, and student communication satisfaction). Results revealed that student perceived effectiveness of, and likelihood to use, student BATs did not influence, student talk or student learning, but indicated some significant relationships with the students' motives to communicate with their instructors. Specifically, the relational, functional, participatory, and sycophancy motives were generally related to the perceived likelihood to …

Selling 'Fracking': Legitimation Of High Speed Oil And Gas Extraction In The Marcellus Shale Region, Jacob R. Matz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The advent of horizontal hydraulic fracture drilling, or 'fracking,' a technology used to access oil and natural gas deposits, has allowed for the extraction of deep, unconventional shale gas and oil deposits in various shale seams throughout the United States and world. One such shale seam, the Marcellus shale, extends from New York State, across Pennsylvania, and throughout West Virginia, where shale gas development has significantly increased within the last decade. This boom has created a massive amount of economic activity surrounding the energy industry, creating jobs for workers, income from leases and royalties for landowners, and profits for energy …

Predicting Deer Hunting Participation Using Theory Of Planned Behavior And Constraint Integrated Theory Of Planned Behavior Models: A Study Of Oregon Big Game Hunters, Suresh Kumar Shrestha

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Studies have established that the theory of planned behavior (TPB) is a simple but effective model for providing theoretical explanation as to why people participate in a given recreation activity, including general hunting activity. Understanding leisure constraints is another popular approach in leisure research, which is considered more useful from the practitioners' point of view. Literature suggested that significant relationships exist between constraint dimensions and constructs of theory of planned behavior. It was assumed that integrating constraints to TPB might not only enhance the predicting power of the TPB but might also provide a practical dimension to it. The aims …

Design Software Methods For Strengthening Of Reinforced Concrete Beams And Columns, Trevor D. Saas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Using fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) to strengthen dilapidated and failing reinforced concrete structures is becoming more frequent and often a cheaper alternative to traditional strengthening methods. Computer Aided Design Environment for Composites (CADEC) assists in the design and analysis of composite materials but lacks a user-friendly environment for the design and verification of strengthened reinforced concrete beams and columns. Therefore, design software methods are needed to develop an add-on application.;The development of the design software methods was done using C# (pronounced "C Sharp"), an object-orientated language, because of the object classes. The object classes were used to allow other design …

Minnesota Citizens Concerned For Life, Inc. V. Swanson And Disclosure Burdens: Does Getting Corporations To Talk Suppress Their Speech?, Asher R. Ball

Nebraska Law Review

Minnesota’s laws are particularly interesting and potentially divisive because, following the seminal Citizens United v. FEC decision, they are perhaps the most extensive of any state disclosure laws in effect to be deemed unconstitutional. This Note considers the narrow question of whether, when viewed through the lens of political reality, Minnesota’s disclosure laws regulating independent expenditures, particularly one requiring ongoing periodic reporting, cross the line from a mere administrative cost to a burden chilling the free speech of associations. Part II of this Note first examines the principles of disclosure and the legislative regulation of elections through disclosure throughout United …

New Negroes At The Beach: At Work And Play Outside The Black Metropolis, Andrew W. Kahrl

History Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Implementation Guide For Community Change: Tools From First 5 Marin, Julia Coffman

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Organizational Sense-Making And Enactment: Public Policy And Change-Making Of Private Professional College Administrations In Kerala, India, Biju A. Chittuparamban

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Haunted By Passion: Supernaturalism And Feminism In Jane Eyre And Villette, Laurel Lorber

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Diversity Indices Of Pelagic Rotifers In Camp Balloki Water Park, Lahore, Pakistan, Abdul Qayyum Khan Sulehria, Muhammad Anwar Malik

Turkish Journal of Zoology

This work attempted to evaluate the rotifer species diversity indices of Camp Balloki Water Park and infer the state of the water according to rotifers and physicochemical parameters. The diversity indices, species richness, and evenness were assessed every month. The Shannon–Weaver index indicated that this habitat had great diversity of rotifers throughout the year. These results were supported by the Simpson dominance, diversity, and reciprocal indices. Water and plankton samples were taken monthly from January 2006 to December 2006. In total, 38 rotifer species of 20 genera and 13 families were identified. Brachionus, Lecane, and Trichocerca dominated the locality. Rotifer …

The Effect Of Creative Drama Method On Pre-Service Classroom Teachers’ Writing Skills And Attitudes Towards Writing, Tolga Erdogan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of the study is to explore the effect of the creative drama method on pre-service classroom teachers’ writing skills and attitudes towards writing. Additionally, the views of the pre-service teachers concerning the creative drama method were also investigated in the study. The participants of the study were 24 pre-service teachers studying at Karadeniz Technical University Fatih Faculty of Education. The participants were asked to write activities with using creative drama method. The design of the study is mixed in that it included both qualitative and quantitative methods of research. The writings of the participants at the beginning and …

The Psychometric Properties Of The Physical Education Lesson Attitude Scale For Preservice Classroom Teachers, Erman Oncu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Physical Education Attitude Scale for Preservice Classroom Teachers (PEAS-PCT). The study was conducted on 561 Turkish preservice classroom teachers at the end of the 2011-2012 Fall Semester. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to ascertain the validity of the scale. For the reliability of the scale Cronbach Alpha reliability, Spearman Brown split-half test and item-total test correlations were calculated. Reexamination of the scale led to a new scale structure comprised of a single factor with ten items. The altered version of the scale proved psychometrically stronger. …

Using Narrative As A Tool To Locate And Challenge Pre Service Teacher Bodies In Health And Physical Education, Jennifer A. Mcmahon, Dawn Penney

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper reports on research that has explored the use of narrative as a pedagogical tool in pre service teacher education. Specifically, we pursue the use of narrative to engage with pre service teachers’ embodied experiences [their lived body] and the ways in which these experiences are in turn currently influencing their ‘living bodies’ in regard to what Health and Physical Education (HPE) is and how it should be taught. Data in the form of an assemblage of pre service teachers’ narratives are presented to show how both the lived and living body contributes to thoughts and ideas about HPE. …

Framing Teacher Educator Engagement In An Online Environment, Janet Dyment, Jill Downing, Yoshi Budd

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this conceptual paper, we draw upon Pittaway’s (2012) Engagement Framework, using it as a lens through which to examine the personal, professional, academic, intellectual and social dimensions of teacher educators’ engagement within an online teaching environment. We reflect on findings from our pilot study (Downing & Dyment, 2013) and draw on key literatures in the fields of higher education, teacher education and online teaching to explore the various dimensions of the Engagement Framework, particularly as they relate to teacher educators’ engagement. We offer recommendations for teacher educators to consider as they contemplate the move to online preparation of pre-service …

Communicating, Collaborating, And Coordinating To Revitalize New Jersey Neighborhoods, Lois W. Greco

The Foundation Review

· Since 2003, the New Jersey public and private funding community has been organizing and implementing a shared, cross-sector approach to revitalizing the state's low-income neighborhoods that incorporates residents and stakeholders, encourages private investment, leverages corporate resources, and produces measurable results.

· The approach has been shaped by the programmatic alignment of the Wells Fargo Regional Foundation's Neighborhood Grants Program and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs' Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit program (NRTC) with technical assistance from the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey.

· The combined programs have supported initiatives in 26 neighborhoods, funded by $16 …

Executive Summaries

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Collaboration And Foundation Leadership: Challenges, Opportunities, And Impact, Jennifer Pereira

The Foundation Review

· This article describes a successful collaboration among foundation, city government, and nonprofit stakeholders that leveraged an initial investment of $60,000 to $4.5 million in public and private funding to create a sustainable Green & Healthy Homes Initiative™ for low- and moderate-income neighborhoods in Providence, R.I.

· Through a partnership with the Rhode Island Foundation, the Council on Foundations, and the Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, the city of Providence developed a comprehensive approach to integrated health, safety, lead-hazard reduction, energy-efficiency, and weatherization interventions for low- and moderate-income families.

· The project was led by a steering committee of …

Only Connect: How An Investment In Relationships Among Social Change Leaders Is Changing Them, Their Organizations, And Their City, Stefan Lanfer, Patricia Brandes, Claire Reinelt

The Foundation Review

· After years of leading social-sector organizations in an environment where competition is more the norm than collaboration, many gifted leaders are near burnout, unable to maximize their gifts. Since 2005, the Barr Fellowship has been changing that in Boston.

· This network of leaders, created by the Barr Foundation, is based on the hypothesis that recognizing talented leaders and investing in their personal growth and connections with one another will result in individual, collective, and city transformation.

· A longtime funder of networks, Barr designed the fellowship as a “connectivity” network, where collective actions and shared agendas might emerge …

A Matter Of Leadership: Connecting A Grantmaker's Investments In Collaborative Leadership Development To Community Results, Julia D. O’Brien, Jennifer N. Littlefield, Victoria Goddard-Truitt

The Foundation Review

· Foundations are increasingly supporting cross-sector collaboratives that focus on developing collaborative leadership skills, in addition to strengthening collaborative accountability. This article tests the Theory of Aligned Contributions change model, as implemented by the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Leadership in Action Program.

· Path analysis results show that grantmakers can support cross-sector collaboratives by providing skilled implementation teams that promote public and individual accountability and build strong collaborative leadership skills. Through this support, collaboratives develop effective strategies that affect important social issues.

· This research sheds light on how grantmakers can fund and encourage a process for cross-sector community members …

When Local Solutions Aren’T Enough: A Strategic Funding Partnership To Restore A Large River System, Pam Wiley, Ken Bierly, Todd Reeve, Kendra Smith

The Foundation Review

· Freshwater ecosystems are increasingly imperiled, and funders, nongovernmental organizations, community groups, and government agencies around the world are working to restore ecological function and resiliency to these critical resources.

· What does it take to structure, support, and implement truly effective, broad-scale watershed restoration? This article will describe the unconventional funding strategies catalyzing collective impact across multiple restoration groups working in a diverse set of watersheds and share the challenges and opportunities encountered while implementing these strategies.

· In Oregon, an experimental 10-year collaboration aimed at improving the health of the Willamette River system is being led by the …

Four Network Principles For Collaboration Success, Jane Wei-Skillern, Nora Silver

The Foundation Review

· This article identifies a set of four counterintuitive principles that are critical to collaboration success and offers insights for how nonprofit leaders can ensure that their collaborations can have an impact that is dramatically greater than the sum of the individual parts.

· Based on a decade of research developing detailed case studies on a range of successful networks, the authors have identified a common pattern of factors that are essential to effective networking.

· The principles are: focus on mission before organization; manage through trust, not control; promote others, not yourself; and build constellations, not stars.

Achieving Synergy With Collaborative Problem Solving: The Value Of System Analysis, Douglas Easterling, Elizabeth Mayfield Arnold, Jessica A. Jones, Allen J. Smart

The Foundation Review

· Collaborative problem solving has a long and important tradition in philanthropy. While there are notable success stories, it is clear that large-scale impact does not occur by simply bringing various stakeholders together around a common agenda and then offering them funding for planning and implementation.

· One of the most critical ingredients is a high-leverage strategy, which in turn requires a coherent understanding of the system that surrounds the problem.

· Reclaiming Futures, a national initiative aimed at promoting juvenile-justice reform at the local level, explicitly promotes system-level problem-solving by offering a conceptual framework that each site uses to …

Front Matter

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Benchmarking Evaluation In Foundations: Do We Know What We Are Doing?, Julia Coffman, Tanya Beer, Patricia Patrizi, Elizabeth Heid Thompson

The Foundation Review

· Evaluation in philanthropy – with staff assigned to evaluation-related responsibilities – began in the 1970s and has evolved, along with philanthropy, in the four decades since. What has not changed, however, is a regular questioning of what foundations are doing on evaluation, especially since the world of philanthropy regularly shifts, and changes in evaluation resourcing and positioning tend to soon follow.

· This article presents new findings about what foundations are doing on evaluation and discusses their implications. It is based on 2012 research that benchmarks the positioning, resourcing, and function of evaluation in foundations, and follows up on …

Funding Leadership-Development Training For Cultural Activists: A Reflective Essay, Susan J. Erenrich

The Foundation Review

· Throughout history, artists have led grassroots movements of protest, resistance, and liberation that have culminated in transformational change. Often, these artists have been overlooked or given too little attention by funders, even though the consequences of their courageous crusades include censorship, imprisonment, torture, and even death.

· There are a number of models for leadership-development training for cultural activists.

· Opportunities for these cultural activists to engage in special leadership-development training can enhance individual campaigns for social justice; provide opportunities for them to network, strategize, and reflect in safe spaces away from the turmoil of day-to-day organizing; and allow …