Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Third Way, Richard M. Freeland

Higher Education

Liberal education and professional education have traditionally been considered opposites. According to received academic wisdom, students seeking broad exposure to the arts and sciences should not be burdened with acquiring workplace skills, and students preparing for careers in fields such as business and engineering should not be diverted by more than a token engagement with "irrelevant" liberal arts content.

Communo Magazine, Fall/Winter 2004, School Of Communication

CommUNO Magazine

CommUNO magazine is currently produced annually by the UNO School of Communication: 6001 Dodge Street, ASH 140, Omaha, NE 68182: Phone: 402.554.2600. Fax: 402.554.3836. For more information, follow us on Twitter@ CommUNO, join the “UNO School of Communication” page on Facebook or visit communication.unomaha.edu.

Devolution, Fiscal Federalism, And Changing Patterns Of Municipal Revenues: The Mismatch Between Theory And Reality, Dale Krane, Carol Ebdon, John R. Bartle

Public Administration Faculty Publications

Theories of fiscal federalism, such as those propounded by Musgrave, Tiebout, and Brennan and Buchanan, prescribe assignment of revenue sources among federal, state, and local governments. In this article, we demonstrate that the recent diversification of municipal revenue sources in response to devolutionary forces does not follow the expectations of the fiscal federalism theories. Our analysis suggests that the use of an institutional approach to the study of fiscal federalism would help to reduce the mismatch between theory and reality.

Moral Education In The Digital Age, Edward E. Tywoniak

Special Topics, General

Our natural human inclination to seek a moral understanding of the world is one of the oldest cultural narratives handed down since the beginning of recorded history. Much has been written on the ontic nature of moral absolutes and the rhetorical discourse of what makes a good citizen, but neither metaphysics nor politics has been totally prepared for the instantly ubiquitous nature of digital technology and its effect on societies in the contemporary age of the networked world. This paper reflects both a philosophical inquiry into the nature of technical systems through a set of anecdotal observations on civic engagement, …

Storm Water Management For Society And Nature Via Service Learning, Ecological Engineering And Ecohydrology, Theodore A. Endreny

Higher Education

A framework for urban storm-water management that moves beyond flood control to improve societal and ecological services will maximize the functions and benefits of water resources management. Theoretical constructs for such work originate from the integration of ecological engineering, ecohydrology and service learning paradigms. Implementation consists of simulating, monitoring and reporting how storm-water design decisions to infiltrate or directly discharge runoff result in a complex set of linked adjustments to the dynamics of the water table, soil chemistry concentrations, plant stress/viability, terrestrial habitat, river loads/flows, and aquatic habitat patterns. Coordination of a socio-ecological-based urban storm-water management programme is discussed using …

Service Learning In An Fcs Core Curriculum: A Community-Campus Collaboration, Carol Friesen, Sue H. Whitaker, Kay Piotrowicz

Partnerships/Community

The new core for the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Ball State University was designed to provide students with a better understanding of the integrative nature of the family and consumer sciences (FCS) profession. The resultant 9-credit core includes an introductory course, a capstone course, and one student-selected course. The content in the introductory class centers around the conceptual framework and cross-cutting threads described by Baugher et al. (2000) in the "Body of Knowledge for Family and Consumer Sciences." Topics covered in the course include professional ethics, public policy, technology, systems theory, critical thinking, diversity, communication skills, global …

Unhappily Ever After: Effects Of Long-Term Low-Quality Marriages On Well-Being, Daniel Hawkins, Alan Booth

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The present study shows that long-term low-quality marriages have significant negative effects on overall well-being. We utilize a nationally representative longitudinal study with a multi-item marital quality scale that allows us to track unhappy marriages over a twelve-year period and to assess marital happiness along many dimensions. Remaining unhappily married is associated with significantly lower levels of overall happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and overall health, along with elevated levels of psychological distress, compared to remaining otherwise continuously married. There is also some evidence that staying unhappily married is more detrimental than divorcing, as people in low-quality marriages are less happy …

Gender Role Identity And Attitudes Toward Feminism, Paige W. Toller, Elizabeth A. Suter, Todd C. Trautman

Communication Faculty Publications

In this study we examined relationships among gender role identity, support for feminism, nontraditional gender roles, and willingness to consider oneself a feminist in a sample of college students (N D 301). For female participants, we found positive relationships among higher masculinity on the PAQ (Personal Attributes Questionnaire), nontraditional attitudes toward gender roles, and the combined SRAI (Sex Role Attitudinal Inventory). A negative correlation was also found between lower scores on the PAQ masculinity–femininity index and the combined SRAI in women. For male participants, we found positive relationships among high femininity on the SIS (Sexual Identity Scale), willingness to consider …

The State Of American Federalism, 2003-2004: Polarized Politics And Federalist Principles, Dale Krane

Public Administration Faculty Publications

By Bush's third year in office, the nation was embroiled in three wars overseas and a political war at home. The progress made toward a functioning Iraqi government was eclipsed by violent resistance and by administrative scandals. The 9/11 Commission hearings uncovered “missed opportunities” in intelligence and repudiated the two principal reasons for the invasion of Iraq. Slow job growth, rising prices for energy and health care, and fears over outsourcing dragged the president's approval ratings to new lows. Senator John Kerry emerged from a large group of Democrats to become the party's putative nominee, and both he and the …

Assisted Reproduction Versus Spontaneous Conception: A Comparison Of The Developmental Outcomes In Twins, Lisa Kelly-Vance, Kristine S. Anthis, Howard Needelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

The use of assisted reproductive technology is increasing rapidly. Research, although sparse, has resulted in inconsistent findings as to the developmental prognosis for infants conceived by assisted reproductive techniques such as in vitro fertilization and the use of fertility drugs. In the present study, the authors compared twins who were spontaneously conceived with those who were conceived through assisted reproductive technology. The authors found differences in birth weight and gestational age. Infants conceived by assisted reproductive technology fared worse than did those who were spontaneously conceived. The authors found no differences between the groups in mental development at 24 months …

Prosecutorial Misconduct In Death Penalty Cases: The U.S. Supreme Court Rules That The State May Not Suppress Evidence That Is Material To Guilt Or Punishment, Richard L. Wiener, Roni Reiter-Palmon

Psychology Faculty Publications

n April of 1980, police found the body of Richard Whitehead outside a small town in eastern Texas. Witnesses told police that they had seen Delma Banks in Whitehead's automobile several days earlier and had heard gunshots early in the morning shortly after the sighting. Informant Robert Farr told police that Banks was traveling back to his home in eastern Texas from Dallas, where he had visited Charles Cook, an associate of his, to secure a weapon. The sheriff stopped Banks' car and found a handgun. The sheriff then retrieved a second weapon from Mr. Cook's home and determined that …

Recent Dissertations On Service And Service-Learning Topics: Volume Iii (2001-2003), Katrina Norvell

Bibliographies

Bibliographic information for 127 dissertations on service learning topics.

An Examination Of The Associations Between The Locations Of Probationers And Crimes: A City Block-Level Analysis, Stephanie A. Titus

Student Work

This research will use adult probation data from the Douglas County Court Probation Office for 2000 and 2001 to evaluate the relationship between the locations of probationers and their possible effects on the amount of crime on residential city blocks in Omaha, Nebraska. The analyses will relate the probation data to the dependent variables that are based on the Part I Index Crimes obtained from the Omaha Police Department. The research will attempt to evaluate the effects of probationers on the amount of crime on city blocks and compare this with the effects of block-level characteristics and crime on the …

The Airline Quality Rating 2004, Brent D. Bowen, Dean Headley, Uno Aviation Institute

Faculty Books and Monographs

UNOAI Report 04-1

The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) was developed and first announced in early 1991 as an objective method of comparing airline quality on combined multiple performance criteria. This current report, the Airline Quality Rating 2004, reflects monthly Airline Quality Rating scores for 2003. AQR scores far the calendar year 2003 are based on 15 elements in four major areas that focus on airline performance aspects important to air travel consumers.

The Airline Quality Rating 2004 is a summary of month-by-month quality ratings for U.S. airlines that have at least 1% of domestic passenger volume during 2003. Using the …

Educating The "Good" Citizen: Political Choices And Pedagogical Goals, Joel Westheimer, Joseph Kahne

Special Topics, General

At the level of rhetoric, most educators, policymakers, and citizens agree that developing students' capacities and commitments for effective and democratic citizenship is important. When we get specific about what democracy requires and about what kind of school curricula will best promote it, however, much of that consensus falls away. For some, a commitment to democracy is a promise to protect liberal notions of freedom, while. for others democracy is primarily about equality or equality of opportunity. For some, civil society is the key, while for ()!hers, free markets are a great hope for a democratic society. For some, good …

Middle School Service-Learning Instructional Framework, Maryland State Department Of Education

Curriculum

Students have enormous energy, enthusiasm, and intelligence that they will devote to our commlll1ities when they are asked and given the opportunity. Schools are now doing the asking and they are creating opportunities, both in courses and as part of their extracurricular activities. Students have weather stripped and rehabilitated houses and tended animals at the zoo. They have planted marsh grass to save the Chesapeake Bay and tested streams for pollutants. They have created plays about drug and alcohol abuse and put on fashion shows for senior citizens. These are not simply nice things to do. They contribute to an …

Different Regions, Similar Views, Gregory A. Petrow

Political Science Faculty Publications

U.S. regions have had radically different political histories. The South long has been seen as the nation’s most conservative region, while New England has been perceived as the most liberal.

An examination of 40 years of survey data generated by the American National Election Study, however, suggests that differences between the South and New England on social issues tend to be small, are getting smaller, and in some instances have disappeared.

Communo Magazine, Spring 2004, School Of Communication

CommUNO Magazine

CommUNO magazine is currently produced annually by the UNO School of Communication: 6001 Dodge Street, ASH 140, Omaha, NE 68182: Phone: 402.554.2600. Fax: 402.554.3836. For more information, follow us on Twitter@ CommUNO, join the “UNO School of Communication” page on Facebook or visit communication.unomaha.edu.

Service Learning And International Business Education, Ilan Alon

Intergenerational

In recent years, business schools have come under increasing scrutiny for teaching relevant and practical skills to their students. Experiential and service learning- learning by doing- has been one area in which business schools were able to complement their traditional classes to enhance their students' learning outcomes. International business is an area in which the growth of experiential learning has been slow. This paper seeks to explain a unique model for providing international business experience to MBA students using a high-ranking small MBA program in Florida as a case study.

Impact Of Service Learning On Physical Therapist Students' Knowledge Of And Attitudes Toward Older Adults And On Their Critical Thinking Ability, Janna Beling

Service Learning, General

As the number and proportion of elderly people rapidly increase in the next few decades, there will be increased demands for physical therapists to work with older clients. Although the availability of physical therapists to work with elderly people will be determined, in part, by their personal preferences,¹ most physical therapists will be routinely required to work with elderly clients and clients' aging family members.² In order to provide effective services, it is imperative that physical therapist students possess adequate knowledge about the aging process and recognize the individuality of older clients, as well as their capacity for …

Service-Learning Projects Enhance Student Learning In Strategic Management Courses, John Angelidis, Igor Tomic, Nabil A. Ibrahim

Service Learning, General

Academia has been criticized for Its supposed isolation from society and its lack of emphasis on practical applications and hands-on experience. Institutions of higher education are responding to this criticism by incorporating experiential service-learning in their curricula. One business course which is particularly appropriate for integrating service-learning into the curriculum is Strategic Management.

Cost/Benefit Analysis Of The Douglas County Drug Court, R. K. Piper, Cassia Spohn

Past Publications

The primary purpose of this cost-benefit evaluation of the Douglas County Drug Court (DCDC) is to provide administrators and policy-makers with critical information for future policy and funding decisions. This study expands and refines previous DCDC cost-benefit analyses through an investigation of drug court program investment, outcome and societal-impact costs and savings.

This study employs a Transaction Cost model that examines complex, multi-agency events and costs for participants in drug court and non-drug court comparison groups. A “cost-to-taxpayer” approach is used that includes any criminal justice related costs (or avoided costs) generated by drug court or non-drug court comparison group …

The Douglas County Drug Court: Characteristics Of Participants, Case Outcomes And Recidivism, Cassia Spohn, R. K. Piper

Past Publications

The purpose of this report is to describe the characteristics of all offenders (N = 255) who were bound over to Douglas County District Court in 2001 and who were subsequently diverted to the Douglas County Drug Court. We present descriptive data on the characteristics of the drug court participants, focusing on their background characteristics and prior criminal record and on their case characteristics. We also present descriptive data on recidivism for drug court participants and for traditionally adjudicated offenders and compare the recidivism rates of these two groups of offenders, controlling for other predictors of the likelihood of recidivism.

The Douglas County Drug Court: Characteristics Of Participants, Case Outcomes And Recidivism, Cassia Spohn

Past Publications

The purpose of this report is to describe the characteristics of all offenders (N = 255) who were bound over to Douglas County District Court in 2001 and who were subsequently diverted to the Douglas County Drug Court. We present descriptive data on the characteristics of the drug court participants, focusing on their background characteristics and prior criminal record and on their case characteristics. We also present descriptive data on recidivism for drug court participants and for traditionally adjudicated offenders and compare the recidivism rates of these two groups of offenders, controlling for other predictors of the likelihood of recidivism.

Strategic Information Systems Planning In U.S. County Governments: Will The Real Sisp Model Please Stand Up?, Lyn M. Holley, Donna Dufner, B. J. Reed

Gerontology Faculty Publications

This paper is the second in a series of studies examining strategic information systems planning (SISP) in U.S. governments based on information technology performance data and ratings generated for the Government Performance Project (2000 re states and 2001 re counties). The first study examined SISP at the state level (PPMR, June 2002). This study investigates SISP in county government using data from the 40 largest U.S. counties in terms of revenue within regions. Findings suggest that structural features of county government inhibit translation to counties of successful business models for strategic use of information systems, and they support the conclusion …

A Social Model For Health Promotion For An Aging Population: Initial Evidence On The Experience Corps Model, Linda P. Fried, Michelle C. Carlson, Marc Freedman, Kevin D. Frick, Thomas A. Glass, Joel Hill, Sylvia Mcgill, George W. Rebok, Teresa Seeman, James Tielsch, Barbara A. Wasik, Scott Zeger

Intergenerational

This report evaluates whether a program for older volunteers, designed for both generativity and health promotion, leads to short-term improvements in multiple behavioral risk factors and positive effects on intermediary risk factors for disability and other morbidities. The Experience Corps® places older volunteers in public elementary schools in roles designed to meet schools' needs and increase the social, physical, and cognitive activity of the volunteers. This article reports on a pilot randomized trial in Baltimore, Maryland. The 128 volunteers were 60-86 years old; 95% were African American. At follow-up of 4-8 months, physical activity, strength, people one could turn to …

Next Steps: A School District's Guide To The Essential Elements Of Service-Learning, Maryland Student Service Alliance, Maryland State Department Of Education

School K-12

We are pleased to share a new tool for service-learning. Next Steps: A School District's Guide to the Essential Elements of Service-Learning is an excellent guide for state level or school district administrators as they create or improve their service-learning program, regardless of their previous experience in service-learning. Students make a tremendous difference in their schools and communities when they are given the opportunity to use their enthusiasm, energy and ideas to problem solve and contribute to the common good.

Maryland was the first state to require that all students participate in service-learning to graduate from public high school. Educators …

Felony Offenses In Douglas County District Court, 2001, Cassia Spohn, R. K. Piper

Past Publications

The purpose of this report is describe the offender and case characteristics and the outcomes of all felony cases (N = 2,663) bound over for trial in Douglas County (Nebraska) District Court in 2001.1 We present descriptive data on these cases, focusing on defendants’ background characteristics and prior criminal record, the nature and seriousness of the charges for which the defendant was bound over to District Court, the disposition of the case, and case processing time. We also examine case dispositions and sentences for 15 different types of felony offenses and present descriptive data and case outcome data for defendants …

Where Do We Go From Here? Boot Camps In The Future, Doris Layton Mackenzie, Gaylene Armstrong

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Boot camps have developed over the past two decades into a program that incorporates a military regimen to create a structured environment. While some critics of this method of corrections suggest that the confrontational nature of the program is antithetical to treatment, authors Doris Layton MacKenzie and Gaylene Styve Armstrong present research knowledge and personal discussions with community leaders that offer insight into both the strengths and weaknesses of this controversial form of corrections.

Correctional Boot Camps: Military Basic Training or a Model for Corrections? provides the most up-to-date assessment of the major perspectives and issues related to the current …

Leadership And Creativity: Understanding Leadership From A Creative Problem-Solving Perspective, Roni Reiter-Palmon, Jody J. Illies

Psychology Faculty Publications

Employees in many jobs encounter novel, ill-defined problems, and finding creative solutions to these problems may be the critical factor that allows their organization to maintain a competitive advantage. Solving problems creatively requires extensive and effortful cognitive processing. This requirement is magnified further by the complex, ambiguous situations in which most organizational problems occur. Employees must define and construct a problem, search and retrieve problem-relevant information, and generate and evaluate a diverse set of alternative solutions. Creativity necessitates that all these activities are completed effectively. It is unlikely, therefore, that creative outcomes will be realized without a large degree of …