O’Neill School welcomes Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness to faculty roster

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Leslie Wells

a man wearing a white button-up shirt and blue blazer stands looking up and smiling. — Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness is the first sitting mayor to serve on O’Neill’s associate faculty.

Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness is joining the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU Indianapolis as an associate faculty member for the fall 2024 semester, leading a course designed to help future leaders better understand what it means to be a public servant.

Fadness—who earned his MPA with O’Neill in 2007—will be the first sitting mayor to serve on the O’Neill School’s faculty in Indianapolis.

“We are thrilled and honored to add Mayor Fadness to our elite faculty roster at the O’Neill School,” says O’Neill Associate Dean of Student Services and Enrollment Management Suzann Lupton. “Mayor Fadness will provide critical real-world insight and experience to O’Neill students, helping to guide up-and-coming leaders on the importance of public service and how they can go on to make a difference in their communities.”

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Charles “Chuck” Bonser, founding dean of the O’Neill School, dies

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Leslie Wells

Red background image with photo of man and text that says Chuck Bonser with obit information.

Dean Emeritus Charles “Chuck” Bonser, the founding dean of the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs who led the school for nearly two decades, passed away August 14, 2024.

He was 91.

“We are forever indebted to Chuck Bonser and his vision for the O’Neill School,” said Siân Mooney, dean of the O’Neill School. “His tireless efforts helped bring the school from just an idea into reality, and his vision created a forward looking, truly imaginative interdisciplinary and world-renowned force that strives to make the world better. We are honored to continue this mission, educating future leaders who are prepared to address complex issues and will carry the torch he lit more than 50 years ago.”

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Adriana Molina-Garzón: Helping vulnerable communities facing environmental challenges

Posted on August 12, 2024 by Leslie Wells

Closeup of a woman wearing a white blazer and standing on a city street. — Adriana Molina Garzón is joining the O’Neill Indianapolis faculty in fall 2024.

Adriana Molina-Garzón’s work has taken her to remote communities across the world, all with the goal of researching climate change and environmental issues in vulnerable communities. Each trip, she says, is a deeply moving experience.

“I have seen firsthand the challenges faced by local communities trying to balance precarious social conditions with conservation goals,” Molina-Garzón explains. “That’s why I am committed to promoting evidence-based policy solutions for sustainable development.”

Her research focuses on the conditions and arrangements that impact sustainable development in rural areas of low- and middle- income countries.

A woman wearing a tank top sits at a shaded table working on a caluclator. — Adriana Molina Garzón’s work often takes her to remote areas to study how middle- and low-income communities are affected by climate change.

She says humanity’s future hinges on the relationship between society and natural resources, including how to help communities—especially marginalized communities—overcome barriers to addressing climate change through collaboration.

“Having a better understanding of the social dynamics that could help communities organize and sustainably manage their resources is fundamental in achieving the dual goal of promoting environmental protection and the well-being of vulnerable communities,” she says.

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IU Indianapolis’ first new degree program: Community and Organizational Leadership Studies at O’Neill

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Leslie Wells

cardigan stands at the front of a classroom, lecturing students. — O’Neill Lecturer Liz Wager leads courses in the O’Neill’s new Community and Organizational Leadership program.

The O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU Indianapolis is launching a new degree program to help grow leaders across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. And it is the first new degree approved for IU Indianapolis.

The newly launched Community and Organizational Leadership Studies program offers a bachelor’s degree, minor, and certificate option. The IU Board of Trustees approved the degree path in spring of 2024 and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education gave it the green light in July 2024.

“This COLS program provides students with training that transcends job titles,” says O’Neill’s Associate Dean of Student Services and Enrollment Management Suzann Lupton. “Being able to lead effectively is a critical skill that is applicable in every sector of our society.”

O’Neill Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Leadership Programs Liz Wager spearheaded the launch of the new degree. She spent several years leading a similar undergraduate program and helped shepherd it—and many of its students—during the program’s transition to O’Neill.

She says the COLS program is a diverse degree that will carry students through the many stages of their careers, regardless of where they are within an organization.

“Leadership does not require a title or position of power,” she says. “It requires an understanding of how to influence others to become the positive change agents needed to navigate today’s complex public, political, and organizational challenges.”

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O’Neill and the Olympics: Student helps in creation of swim trials centerpiece

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman wearing sunglasses stands outside in front of a replica of the Eiffel Tower. — O’Neill student Wendy Catalán Ruano stands outside the replica Eiffel Tower that was on display during the Olympic Swim Trials in Indianapolis (June 2024).

From inside the Latinas Welding Guild, O’Neill Sustainability major Wendy Catalán Ruano helped recreate an icon of the 2024 Paris Olympic Summer Games.

Like Catalán Ruano, the students with whom she works are welders. At the guild, she helps them with course admission, scholarships, and gets them started as they enhance their skills through hands-on work. In 2024, that work included creating a replica of the Eiffel Tower that served as the centerpiece for the Paris Olympic swimming trials in Indianapolis.

“The plan was always to build an Eiffel Tower,” Catalán Ruano explains. “The Olympics team and local officials wanted to work with a nonprofit and were attracted to the guild’s mission.”

The nonprofit offers welding and manufacturing training to support students from marginalized communities. Its founder and executive director, Conseulo Lockhart, created it to empower students and increase diversity and opportunity within the field of welding.

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