Public Administration Commons^™

[Community Oriented Policing (Cop) Evaluation], Kaci Kerfeld, Taylor Glaser, James Koloskie

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An in-depth review of the use of force policies and practices used by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) was conducted after the alarming rate of officer involved shootings was publicized by the Las Vegas Review Journal (RJ) in 2011. The 75 recommendations handed down to LVMPD after the review not only helped guide the agency towards procedural and reporting changes, but also paved a way for the agency to begin rebuilding trust in police within the community. This program evaluation focuses on the community engagement efforts put forth by the Bolden Area Command (BAC) community oriented policing (COP) …

A Program Evaluation Of The State Of Nevada's Certified Public Manager Program, Carolyn Faircloth, Pat La Putt, Diana Ritter, Shawntay Tyler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The State of Nevada Certified Public Manager (NVCPM) Program is a nationally accredited leadership development program that has been designed to prepare managers and supervisors in the public sector. A program evaluation of the NVCPM Program was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the services delivered to program participants in terms of development of leadership skills and career advancement. In addition, this evaluation examined the value that the NVCPM provides to the agencies that the participant worked for related to the implementation of the participant’s Capstone Project. This evaluation also sought to compare the NVCPM Program with other accredited programs …

Program Evaluation For The Nevada School Of The Arts, Cherie Garrity, Lisa Levine, Angela Phillips, Izack Tenorio

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A program analysis and evaluation of the Nevada School of the Arts (NSA), a forty-year-old non-profit organization that provides musical education and advocates for the arts in Southern Nevada, was conducted. This paper serves as the completed report for the Nevada School of the Arts program evaluation and provides thorough analysis, findings from the graduate students’ research, observations, and recommendations for the organization to voluntarily accept.

Policy Analysys And Program Evaluation: Real Talk Youth Impact Program, Carlton Monroe, Liam Maccaul, Natalie Lorenzano, Vincentiu Anghel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Real Talk’s effectiveness on having a positive impact with at-risk youth here in Southern Nevada. Using data collected by Real Talk, the goal was to find new strategies for the program to further expand its outreach based on the impact they have made on the students that have successfully completed the program.

Clark County Department Of Family Services, Parenting Project, Julie Owens, Natalie Grajeda, Stephanie Thelen, David L. Olivieri, Fredric Jackson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Clark County Parenting Project offers a series of free programs to help parents become more effective in raising their children. This program evaluation focuses on Teen Triple P, one of the six programs offered by Clark County, evaluating the effectiveness of the program to the community. The Parenting Project partnered with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Public Policy and Leadership to be a participant in a program evaluation. The evaluation will serve as a tool to determine the overall effectiveness in meeting program goals and objectives as well as determining strengths and weaknesses in program implementation.

Building An Evaluation Framework For The Smith Center’S Education & Outreach Department, Melissa Jacobowitz, Chris Helda, Stephanie Hernandez, Rico Casillas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Smith Center, Clark County’s premier performing arts center, offers professional development opportunities through their Education and Outreach Department to teach local educators how to incorporate arts integration strategies into their classrooms. Research has shown that arts education, particularly in the form of arts integration, can bolster student achievement, increase student engagement and motivation, develop critical and creative thinking patterns, and boost social competences, such as collaboration and self-confidence. Given the great possibility of improving student achievement via arts integration and the poor educational outcomes that the Clark County School District has been struggling with for years, The Smith Center’s …

A​ Program Evaluation Of Outside Las Vegas’ Ymca Education Program, Robin Mendoza, Kevin Schmidt, Arcelia Barajas, Branson Chun

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Today, more than ever, society needs high-quality environmental education programs that succeed in moving values and changing behaviors in the direction of sustainability and conservation. The most common definition of outdoor education comes from "education in, about, and for the outdoors" (Donaldson and Donaldson, 1958, p. 63). They described outdoor learning as taking place “in” the outdoors and the subject matter being “about” nature or the outdoors. There are a variety of studies about “outdoor learning” with a large variation of topics, activities, settings and channels of delivery. The research discussed in this paper will vary slightly to demonstrate the …

Food Rescue Program Evaluation Three Square Food Bank, Anna Caputo, Rich Easter, Rosa Rosas, Mark Sakurada

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With 48 million Americans currently struggling with hunger, addressing food insecurity in U.S. communities remains a persistent issue in need of a remedy. Conversely, food waste is the single largest material deposited in American landfills, with an estimated 70 billion pounds wasted annually. The recovery of this food waste, or “food rescue” in food banking jargon, offers an ideal solution to fight hunger in our communities. With Three Square Food Bank (Three Square) consistently seeking to increase food rescue and distribution in its efforts to eliminate hunger, the need to ensure operational effectiveness and efficiency through programmatic change and improvement …

Program Evaluation Of Clark County Department Of Family Services, Parenting Project, Marissa E. Duke, Emily Elzeftawy, Michael D. Spies

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Clark County Department of Family Services, Parenting Project, hereinafter referred to as Parenting Project, partnered with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Environmental and Public Affairs to participate in a program evaluation. The evaluation will serve as a tool to determine the effectiveness of the services delivered to the community by Parenting Project and to aid them in overall program improvement and implementation. This Program Evaluation focuses on two of the six core parenting classes that are currently offered free to the public, more specifically the Nurturing Parents and Families program and the ABC’s of Parenting. The …

An Evaluation Of Clean The World, Las Vegas Volunteer Program, Chanton Cox, Bassem Dahdouh, Madison Rousell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background

Student evaluation team, AVID Advising, conducted an evaluation of a not for profit organization, Clean the World, Las Vegas Volunteer Program from February 2015 through August 2015. The pre-­‐ valuation consisted of an analysis of the organization’s growth since opening its Las Vegas doors in 2012, staff responsibilities, and their volunteer program. As a result of the pre-­‐ valuation, AVID Advising and Clean the World Las Vegas Manager, Kevin Williams determined an evaluation on the existing volunteer program would be most beneficial to the organization.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this evaluation is to provide Clean the World, Las …

Rainbow Company Youth Theatre Program Evaluation, Ambrosia Crump, Dydia Garcia

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A.D. Consulting was tasked to conduct a program analysis and evaluation of Rainbow Company Youth Theatre (RCYT), a nationally recognized award-winning youth theatre program who has been operating for almost 40 years, under the auspices of the City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs. Based on the feedback received from RCYT staff, A.D. Consulting determined that the program evaluation question would be, does participation in Rainbow Company Youth Theatre meet the objective of the organization, which, although not formally stated, is to improve the lives of youth served, and ultimately make “better people”. The evaluation conducted had the following …

Community Advanced Data And Research Analysis: A Mixed Methods Capstone Project, Michael Bernarndo, Brandie Green, Amber Konold, Kathryn Weavil

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Community Advanced Data and Research Analysis project, or CADRA, is project that houses an interdisciplinary research team located at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The vision of CADRA, as defined by its stakeholders, is to create positive community outcomes by encouraging and engaging nonprofit organizations, as well as student and professional researchers, to develop and evolve their data management practices. CADRA offers three program options including Nonprofit Audits, Program Development and Grant Writing, and Community Data Mining. The purpose of this program evaluation will be to evaluate the Community Advanced Data and Research Analysis (CADRA) Project, with a …

Foundation For An Independent Tomorrow: Treatment Effects Of The Stages Of Employment Job Readiness Program On Program Completion And Employment Outcomes For Ex-Offenders, Michael Hammer, Stephanie Pocchia, Stacy Howell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow (FIT) is a local not for profit organization that seeks to assist residents of Southern Nevada by providing workforce development services (e.g., interviewing skills, job searching techniques, resume assistance) to increase a program participant’s opportunities to obtain and maintain employment. FIT is currently being federally funded through the Department of Labor’s Workforce Investment Act (WIA) grant, with a specific goal of serving the re-entry, or ex-offender, population. This population presents with a very unique set of barriers to obtaining employment, and in order to combat these barriers, FIT created the Stages of Employment job readiness …

An Evaluation Of The Clark County Wetlands Park Volunteer Program, Stephanie Holguin, Riley Kelley, Aaron Manfredi, Michael Mcquatters

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background

Student evaluation team, M.A.R.S. Consulting Group (M.A.R.S.), conducted an evaluation of the Clark County Wetlands Park (CCWP) Volunteer Program from April 2014 through August 2014. The pre-assessment consisted of a qualitative analysis of the organization’s educational programs, tremendous growth in and establishment of facilities throughout 2013 and 2014, staff responsibilities, and volunteer programs. As a result of this pre-assessment, M.A.R.S. determined that an evaluation of the current volunteer program would have the most impact on the organization.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this evaluation is to provide Wetlands Park staff with suggestions and recommendations based on the identified needs …

City Of North Las Vegas Complete Streets Corridor Ranking Study Evaluation, Yasmin Dixon, Brianna Lawrence, Sarah Saenz, Imari Thompson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A Complete Street is a corridor that is accessible by all users and modes of transportation; it promotes livability and economic vitality in the surrounding community, and is a new approach to improving transportation networks. Prior to the implementation of Complete Streets projects, cities conduct corridor ranking studies to determine potential project locations. The City of North Las Vegas Planning Department (CNLV) is currently working on a corridor ranking study in partnership with the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) and an external consulting group, Atkins International (Atkins). This is the first Complete Streets planning study for the City of North Las …

An Analysis Of Capacity Issues Within The Division Of Mental And Behavioral Health For The State Of Nevada, Jeffrey Buchwald, Tara Cooley, Enrique Mazon Jr., Jessica Sifuentes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background

Nevada’s competitiveness in receiving federal funding has been a serious and contentious topic that has steered recent efforts to ascertain ways the state can increase and utilize federal dollars efficiently. Nevada is positioned 53rd out of 53 U.S. states and territories in bringing federal dollars to the state, missing out on $1.5 billion annually (Gustafson, 2012). Nevada spends far less on Medicaid (per capita) than any other state. Medicaid is a key factor in improving Nevada’s position; however, there are additional non-formula funding opportunities that are missed every year.

Purpose

The purpose of this evaluation project is to identify …

Spatial Health Indicator Analysis Data Collection Unlv Study, Amelia Gulling, Jeff Greer, Tom Stewart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Southern Nevada Strong (SNS) is a collaborative regional planning project between local public agencies and NGOs throughout the Las Vegas Valley. This project is headed by City of Henderson on behalf of the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Committee. SNS received a $3.5 million Sustainable Community (SC) grant from HUD which is set to expire in 2015. SNS member agencies receive preference for future HUD grants by participating in successful SC grant, which could be considered a motivating factor for participation for outside agencies.

Friends Of Rainbow Company Program Evaluation, Holly Balmer, Christian Downing, Eric Garner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Friends of the Rainbow Company (Friends) is a nonprofit organization that supports the mission of The Rainbow Company Youth Theatre (Rainbow Company) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Established in 1978, it supports the Rainbow Company through non-traditional financial streams and hands-on support. The Rainbow Company receives primary financial support from the City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs. Being the City’s only youth theatre education program of its kind, it has received local governmental funding since 1976. The City support is mainly for salaried employees and facilities.

Friends and the Rainbow Company are very closely linked in several ways. First, …

Volunteer Management Analysis For The City Of Las Vegas, Robert Fash, Jose Rodriguez, Bertral Washington, Heather Whitesides

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The City of Las Vegas current volunteer management program is unable to provide effective administration of its volunteers. We will discuss what type of volunteer management program would work best for the City of Las Vegas? Volunteer management models were examined to determine what best practices can be adopted by the City of Las Vegas. Research shows a correlation between citizen engagement, volunteerism in the community, and a better quality of life for citizens in communities that have active volunteer programs. Thirty-six jurisdictions were surveyed, most of which are in the Western United States, with four jurisdictions being highlighted. The …

Centennial Hills Active Adult Center Business Plan, K. C. Brekken, Jeff Buchanan, David Gordon, Doug Guild

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The economic indicators for the state of Nevada indicate a bleak financial future. The foreclosure rate of the Las Vegas Valley is five times the national average and the highest rate in the country (Hoak, 2010). Sales tax revenues continue spiraling down and fell by 6.6 percent in December 2009 from December 2008 (Garcia, 2010). State politicians face an estimated budget deficit of $3.5 billion. Local conditions are equally dire. The City of Las Vegas faces a budget shortfall of nearly $69 million for this fiscal year (Choate, 2010). City administrators struggle to find creative solutions to fill financial gaps …

Program Evaluation Of Help Las Vegas Genesis Apartments, Shauna Davis, Bristol Ellington, Alexis Mussi, Jason Lamarr Wasden

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Our group conducted a program evaluation of HELP Las Vegas Genesis Apartments (HELP Genesis). We began the evaluation on November of 2008 and concluded May 2009. HELP Genesis is a permanent supportive housing facility for veterans and homeless with disabilities. It was a concern that they may be a transitional housing facility because of their turnover rate. We concluded that this was not the case.

We have identified the following limitations in our analysis. There was a lack of accessibility to the budget and accounting documents, limited access to key contacts for necessary information, and time constraints which prohibited us …

Clark County Town Advisory Boards And Citizens Advisory Councils: Participation Rates, Lucy Greger, Jason Hafen, Aaron Mueller, Heather Rosich, Rebecca Saoud

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Citizen participation rates in Clark County Town Advisory Boards (TABs) and Citizens Advisory Councils (CACs) were assessed. We measured citizen participation by analyzing attendance at TAB and CAC meetings over a two-month period. We designed a survey and distributed it to TAB and CAC meetings to profile volume of attendees, demographic characteristics, and other relevant data. Each member of our group also personally attended two TAB and CAC meetings to collect observations and conducted an interview with the Clark County liaison for that group. We also examined the Clark County website to determine if it could be better used to …

Policy Analysis: Compressed Workweek, Rick Crosby, Matt Richardson, Stephen Nowicki, Ly Doan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Today the economy has slowed down and inflation has risen to near record highs. Corporations, governments, and agencies are looking at ways to save costs. Budget expenditures on payroll are addressed as well as the cost of utilities, resources, and the costs of doing business. One implicated method to help solve these problems is for the use of compressed workweeks. Compressed workweeks are both beneficial to the agencies and the employees. The employee can have more time for home life while putting in the same amount of hours at work, and save money on commuting to work. Additionally the agency …

Urban Corruption Policy Analysis, Michael Buttars, John Devaney, Jared Gerber, Kevin Sansom

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Corruption has been an issue in municipal government since the inception of government. The purpose of this research and paper is to explore the topic of urban corruption in the United States a sit pertains to city development. A review of the literature on this topic shows that this has been a neglected area of research in public administration. The literature review contained in this paper will look at both the research that has been done in the area of urban corruption and the way in which this type of research has been conducted over the years.

Clark County Outreach Assistance To The Chronically Homeless, Sandy Von Wolffradt, Kirk Medina, Tony Vibabul

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The COACH program was created through a Social Security Administration (SSA) grant provided to assist eligible chronically homeless individuals apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits. On April 1, 2004, the SSA released $6.6 million in "HOPE" awards to 34 organizations, including Clark County Social Services (CCSS) who received $450,000 over three years. Later in 2004, they released additional funding to include seven more organizations in the program. In total, the SSA has committed nearly $18 million to the program over three years. The purpose of the assistance is to improve the quality of life …

Public Participation As Part Of The Clark County Nonconforming Zone Change Process, Mara Weber

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Analysis Of Southern Nevada Municipalities, And Their Active Participation To Implement Historical Preservation, Rhonda M. Reeves

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A comparative analysis of southern Nevada municipalities, and their active participation to implement historical preservation is the foundation of research for this paper. The city of Las Vegas and surrounding municipalities have varying preservation programs in place. The distinctions between the municipalities historic preservation programs foster little protection for the historic site itself in most cases. Historic preservationists are actively bringing to the attention of government the importance of preservation, and are seeking more and more action on the part of the government to implement historic preservation mandates and protection.

The federal government funding for historical preservation within states is …

Nevada Procurment Laws For Computer Related Items For Public Agencies, Rick Hunsaker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Nevada procurement laws for public agencies generally require open, competitive bidding for any item that exceeds $10,000. Public agencies are also required to accept the lowest "responsive" and "responsible" bid. A "responsive bid is one which has addressed all the requirements of the bid documents. All forms must be properly completed and signed. A "responsible" bid is one in which the bidder proves the ability to perform the contract and has the resources to fulfill all the requirements of the contract. If a bidder fails to comply with all of the requirements in the contract documents, then the agency …