Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

A Theoretical Model Of Participatory Team Science Training, Angela E. Jordan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

BACKGROUND: Teams have long been used to address major scientific and societal problems, and interdisciplinary teams are understood to be the best approach to complex systems-based problems like climate change. Engaged research collaborations incorporating community members as equal partners in research projects are recognized as both a means of advancing equity and justice in research, and also of improving the success of research translation by developing solutions with community use-value. The science of team science (TS) and community-engaged research (CEnR) have emerged as scholarly disciplines, with attempts to define competencies, skills, functioning, and success. A growing body of literature in …

Language, Equity, And Power: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Student Conduct Policies At Unl, Mandi Laib

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study conducts a Critical Discourse Analysis of student conduct policies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1977 to 2003 to examine how language reflects and reinforces institutional power structures. Utilizing Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory, this research investigates how conduct policies have historically marginalized Students of Color, LGBTQ+ students, and those facing economic hardship. Through a deductive coding process, themes such as institutional control, surveillance, and punitive framing were identified across four decades of student handbooks. While there are moments where student rights and restorative justice are acknowledged, these are often overshadowed by dominant discourse that prioritizes compliance …

Critically Assessing Normative Methods And Their Limitations In Managing Crowding Within Parks And Protected Areas, Glendon R. Vansandt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Visitor experiences in parks and protected areas are shaped by a variety of environmental, managerial, and social factors. To ensure that visitors enjoy their time in these spaces, management agencies often adopt guidelines to establish acceptable levels for different aspects of these experiences. One of the most selected factors is perceived crowding, which reflects how crowded visitors feel in a given area. When perceived crowding exceeds desired levels, it can significantly diminish visitor satisfaction.

This thesis presents two studies aimed at identifying the shortcomings of the management of perceived crowding. The first study conducts a comprehensive literature review that identifies …

Surge Scramble: An Evaluation Of Combining The Medical Response And Surge Exercise With The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention’S Pan Flu Scramble, Rebecca L. Thompson

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

This report analyzes how Hospital Preparedness Program funding recipients in Nebraska adapted the Center for Disease Control’s Pan Flu Scramble format to meet Medical Response and Surge Exercise (MRSE) requirements in the 2023-2024 fiscal year. By combining the MRSE and Pan Flu Scramble, the recipients created an in-person functional exercise format for the six Nebraska health care coalitions to test their respective chemical plans and the Health Care Crisis Protocol for the State of Nebraska. The report explains the design and conduct of the exercises and provides a comprehensive evaluation of the exercise design and conduct. This report will outline …

State Case Count As An Indicator Of Successful Multistate Outbreak Investigation, Lorisa M. Pennell

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background/Objectives: Shiga-Toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a contaminant found in multiple food types and causes multistate outbreaks due to the industrialization of food production. In this report I examine the differences in outbreaks categorized by the regulating agency responsible in outbreak prevention and compare outbreak case counts when organized by positive outbreak investigation and response outcomes.

Methods: STEC Multistate outbreak data was obtained from the Center for Disease Control’s National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) for outbreaks occurring from 2006-2023. Outbreaks were organized into those regulated by either the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the US Department of …

The Association Between Economic Outcomes And Abortion: A Scoping Review, Larisa Nicole Stephenson

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Abortion access is not just an issue of autonomy, but an economic issue as well. Evidence of the intersectionality of abortion health care and economics has endured due to the financial cascading effects a denial of an abortion, or the inability to access an abortion, has on one’s personal, professional, and economic upward mobility. A change in recent policies impacting access to abortion warrants an updated synthesis examining the relationships between economic outcomes and abortion access for people of reproductive age in the United States (U.S.).

Aim: This scoping review summarizes evidence pertaining to the association …

Emergency Sheltering For Unhoused Populations During Extreme Winter Weather Events: A Comparison Between Guidance Documents And Local Planning, Shannon A. Bakke

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

In a world experiencing drastic climate changes, extreme winter weather is a present and future concern. Regardless of geographic location, extreme winter weather has detrimental effects on communities across the United States. Exposure to extreme winter weather may result in cold-related injuries or death, disproportionately impacting populations that spend more time outside, such as people experiencing homelessness. Gronlund concluded that there is "a higher risk of hypothermia, hyperthermia, and mortality among the homeless vs. non-homeless during periods of extreme heat or cold (Gronlund, 2018)." Communities across the United States routinely combat the effects of cold weather by implementing various disaster …

Empowering Dreams: The Massachusetts Tuition Equity Law And Its Impact On Undocumented Latine Students, Belén Zúñiga, Melissa Colón

Gastón Institute Publications

As a result of the Tuition Equity Law enacted in September 2023, Massachusetts is one of 25 states1 that have encouraged access to higher education for non-citizens, including undocumented students2 (Broder and Kmec, 2024). Under the Tuition Equity Law, undocumented students, who: attended a high school (9th-12th grade)3 in Massachusetts with any combination of three years, graduated from a Massachusetts high school or have a Massachusetts high school diploma equivalent (GED/HiSet), and are admitted to a public institution of higher education in Massachusetts, can attend at in-state tuition rates (Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, 2023). They are also eligible to …

A World Without Prison: The Role Of Policy In Prison Abolition, Kristen Davis

Honors Theses

As concerns about mass incarceration persist, prison abolition offers an innovative approach to safety and justice. The prison abolition movement has been active in the United States since the 1970s. Despite increasingly critical attitudes of the prison system, prison abolition is yet to be accepted in mainstream policy making. Instead, policymakers focus on reform, which problematically legitimizes and reinforces locking people away as criminals. One reason why reform takes precedent may be that prison abolition is often understood in negative terms, as a movement that only advocates ending incarceration. However, its essence is better captured in positive terms, such as …

Assessing Use Of Suicide Prevention And Awareness Training In Rhode Island Public Secondary Schools, Marisa A. Waycuilis

Senior Honors Projects

Suicide has become the second leading cause of death in adolescents in the United States (CDC, 2023). To prevent suicide among school-aged children, the state of Rhode Island enacted the Nathan Bruno and Jason Flatt Act (2021-H5353, 2021-S003) in July of 2021. The legislation requires teachers, students (Grade 6 through 12), and hired school personnel to be annually trained in suicide awareness and prevention. In addition, each public school district must adopt a policy addressing produces relating to suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. This project aimed to evaluate the level of compliance with the Nathan Bruno and Jason Flatt Act …

A Comprehensive Study Of Impacts Of “Q” Bus Rapid Transit System On Blackstone Avenue, Yertai Tanai, Kamil Ciftci

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study examines the dual impact of the Fresno Area Express (FAX) Q Line, a 15.7-mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system launched in 2018, on the Fresno housing market and passenger satisfaction. The Q Line, designed to modernize public transit, features eco-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, real-time passenger information, and improved service efficiency. Housing market analysis focused on residential properties sold between 2012 and 2024, utilizing Geographic Information System(GIS) mapping to segment properties into three regions: the Q Line corridor, an outer buffer zone, and the rest of Fresno. Results indicate no statistically significant increase in property values within …

Assessing Perceived Safety Of Non Motorized Travel With Virtual Reality, Vahid Balali, Sahand Fathi

Mineta Transportation Institute

Cycling is increasingly advocated as a healthier and more sustainable mode of transportation, as reflected in both scholarly literature and policy initiatives. Nonetheless, the escalation in bicyclist crash fatalities underscores deficiencies in extant roadway designs that inadequately safeguard these vulnerable users. A persistent challenge in the examination of bicyclist safety, behavior, and comfort is the paucity of comprehensive cycling data. To enhance understanding of cyclists' behavioral and physiological responses safely and efficiently, this investigation utilizes a bicycle simulator within an immersive virtual environment (IVE). Off-the-shelf sensors are employed to evaluate cyclists' performance metrics (speed and lane position) and physiological responses …

Mash Crashworthiness Of Work Zone Devices And Breakaway Luminaire Poles, Mohammadreza Rajaee

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis presents a study on the crashworthiness of two commonly-used roadside safety devices: Type II barricades and luminaire poles supported by TB1-17 transformer bases. The first part focuses on designing and evaluating a non-proprietary, Type II barricade that meets MASH criteria. A validated LS-DYNA model, based on a previously-tested Type III barricade, was used to guide the design. The proposed Type II system was evaluated through simulation and confirmed with full-scale crash testing. The second part of the study investigates luminaire poles supported by the TB1-17 transformer base. A previously-developed LS-DYNA model was updated and validated using test No. …

A Framework For Quantifying The Benefits Of Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Development, Donya Negahbani

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Under the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, a significant portion of benefits derived from federal clean transportation investments is required to be directed to disadvantaged communities. Meeting this mandate necessitates a transparent and reproducible approach that quantifies various dimensions of value and allocates them equitably. This dissertation presents a flexible framework specifically tailored for the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Nebraska, effectively translating equity goals into rigorous spatial and economic analyses. The framework first identifies multiple distinct categories of benefit that reflect the societal value of charging access: energy savings, economic opportunities, environmental quality enhancements, and public health improvements. …

Development Of Timber Bridge Railing And Approach Guardrail Transition, Aaron Lechtenberger

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Timber bridges with transverse and longitudinal bridge decks are increasingly utilized across the United States. However, limited research exists to develop bridge railing systems for high-service-level roadways that meet current vehicular impact safety standards. In response to this gap, the United States Department of Agriculture - Forest Service -Forest Products Laboratory (USDA-FS-FPL), in collaboration with the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF), initiated a research program to develop, crash test, and evaluate higher-service-level bridge railings and approach guardrail transitions (AGTs) compliant with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH).

This study continued …

Educational Leadership In A Vuca World: The Crisis Management Experiences Of Rural School Superintendents, Lucas J. Grossnicklaus

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The job of both urban and rural superintendents is challenging, but it is the rural school superintendency that comes with unique challenges that aren’t always faced by their urban and suburban counterparts. The COVID-19 Pandemic brought about a number of crises for school superintendents such as school closures, mask mandates, and navigating positions taken by governors, teachers unions, and school boards. While concerns about school closures and mask mandates has dissipated, conflict within school districts has only seemed to grow since the pandemic.

This multi-case study explored the lived experience of rural superintendents in the Midwest who have experienced a …

Entangled Exclusions: Borders, Frontiers And Urban Geopolitics From Northeast India, Prerona Das, Gaurav Mittal, Jasnea Sarma

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

An epicentre of ethnicity-based identity politics and exclusions, India's northeastern region has long been politically imagined as both a ‘frontier’ and ‘borderland’ for state control, territorialization, extractive economies and (re)developments by colonial and subsequent post-colonial regimes. In post-independence India, the region experienced many territorial assertions made on ethnic grounds. With the rise of religio-national and neoliberal politics, new urban ‘developments’ and connectivity projects in the region have deepened exclusions based on class, caste, ethnic and religious borders. These have, in turn, led to further displacement, enclavization, and ghettoization of minority communities who are deemed ‘non-native’ along ethnocentric lines. Taking two …

Emergent Models Of Place-Based Philanthropy: A Review Of Six Foundations’ Initiatives, Douglas Easterling

The Foundation Review

Traditional approaches to place-based philanthropy, including comprehensive community initiatives (CCIs), are characterized by four design features: 1) a centralized stakeholder group that serves as the primary nexus for the foundation’s engagement; 2) an extensive planning process on the front end; 3) the planning group’s initial strategy serves as the basis for the foundation’s investments throughout the initiative; and 4) foundation staff play a largely transactional role in reviewing proposals, awarding grants and monitoring progress. This linear, structured approach to community change has had only limited success over 30 years of foundation practice.

In response, a growing number of foundations have …

Tfr 17.1 Full Issue

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Executive Summaries

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Are Community Philanthropic Organizations Planning For Climate Change?, Beth Gazley, Rachel Cash, Laurie Paarlberg

The Foundation Review

Although their role is sometimes overlooked, an Indiana statewide study confirms that most community foundations and United Way agencies directly contribute to meeting local disaster response needs.

Although half of all community foundations and United Ways report past service disruptions due to the more severe weather caused by climate change, the majority have not discussed the need to plan for disasters with their boards of directors to assure business continuity.

Community foundations lag behind United Ways and direct service nonprofits in risk mitigation, and their leaders are more likely to downplay the potential impacts of climate change on state residents. …

Disrupting Foundation Culture: Lessons In Learning To Share Power And Decision-Making, Sonia Caus Gleason, Tina Eshaghpour

The Foundation Review

There is much discussion of shifting organizational culture in philanthropies to share power and decision-making. However, examples of foundation learning endeavors to disrupt culture in service of systems change, racial equity, and responsiveness are less common.

Our article provides a window into the demanding work at The California Wellness Foundation and how internal collaboration and learning have led to progress in racial equity and power-sharing with communities. We focus on the introduction of Learning Labs, an action research model that framed and scaffolded the investigation of philanthropic terms and practices. This catalyzed collaborative decision-making within cross-functional teams while senior leaders …

Engaging Youth In Philanthropic Practice: Field-Building Strategies And The Promise Of Youth-Possible Philanthropy™, Kimberlin D. Butler

The Foundation Review

Traditional philanthropy has largely been top-down, with communities — including youth — having limited decision-making power. Despite philanthropy’s recent shift toward participatory approaches, young people in these historically excluded communities are often ignored as contributors to philanthropic strategy.

Youth-Possible Philanthropy™ (YPP) offers a new, emerging theoretical framework that proposes to shift this dynamic by positioning youth as co-creators and possibility catalysts in philanthropic governance and strategy. YPP is grounded in possibility development, participatory approaches, and trust-based philanthropy.

The article provides strategies for operationalizing YPP. Case examples illustrate how YPP can foster authentic power-sharing and bridge gaps in philanthropic practice.

Front And Back Matter

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Strengthening Evaluation Contracting Partnerships: Fostering Stronger Relationships Between Funders And Small, Proximate Evaluation Firms, Hippolyt Pul, Carlisle Levine

The Foundation Review

Foundations often support initiatives in multiple countries and cultures, including within the United States, with limited access to or familiarity with the people and local contexts in which activities occur. To gain a deep and nuanced understanding of their investments’ relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability, foundations are often eager to partner with evaluators close to the contexts and people who participate in and are most affected by their investments.

Yet, foundations’ procurement and contracting systems may not be built for these partnerships. Through the Strengthening Evaluation Contracting Partnerships Initiative, we are addressing this challenge by helping foundations, small and proximate evaluation …

Editorial, Julia Coffman

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Limited Supermarket Access Areas In The Mountain West, 2010-2020, Taylor Volk, Ivan Sun, Mohit Pande, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Health

This fact sheet presents data on limited supermarket access areas in the Mountain West from 2010 to 2020. The “Limited Supermarket Access Analysis” report, published by the Reinvestment Fund, offers data for populations that reside in Limited Supermarket Access (LSA) areas in U.S. states and in major U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) with a population of at least 1,000,000 people. This fact sheet presents both state-level and MSA-level data for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Sexual And Gender Minority Individuals In Our Community: Policy Recommendations To Address Discrimination-Related Stresses, Emylia N. Terry

Lincy Institute Events

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals face a wide range of mental and physical health challenges, which contribute to higher rates of suicide. SGM individuals encounter distress, discrimination, and in some cases, harmful anti-LGBTQIA+ laws and policies that contribute to additional mental and physical health stress. A web-based survey of 1,034 SGM participants in the United States measured the types and frequency of discrimination occurrences and related distress. The survey considers the variety of interactions between individuals and their relationships, while also measuring the community and societal factors that affect health outcomes for SGM individuals. This research evaluates many variables …

Dr-4429: Social Perceptions And Narratives Of The 2019 Mississippi Delta Flood, Lily B. Langstaff

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the social perceptions and narratives surrounding the 2019 Mississippi Delta flood. Recognizing flooding as a “wicked problem,” the research highlights how socioeconomic and cultural identities relate to access to resources and assistance for affected communities, with an emphasis on infrastructure. Through qualitative analysis, including thematic coding of journalistic media sources covering the flood, the study explores the perceptions and experiences as well as the concept of ‘deservingness’ and its relationship with government resources and assistance. Findings indicate that the Mississippi Delta community faced temporal barriers to post-flood recovery due to disparities in representation and perception, underscoring the …

How Can Public Sector Employers Improve The Effectiveness Of Email Recruitment?, Leonard M. Lopoo, Robert Bifulco, Hannah Patnaik, Ashraf Haque, Christine Ashby, George Theoharis

Center for Policy Research

With the constant deluge of listservs, email advertisements, and phishing scams, many email recipients have become accustomed to deleting emails from unknown sources without ever reading them. Knowing what can increase the likelihood of email engagement may improve the effectiveness of email communications in job recruitment. This brief summarizes findings from a study that reports results from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a mass email campaign to recruit applicants for a training program for K-12 teaching jobs. The authors compared email open rates between emails that contained a letter with university logos signed by a university official versus emails …