Capstone class lets students connect the dots through projects

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman stands in front of a brick wall holding a bag of coffee grounds — O’Neill Sustainable Management and Policy major Skylar Hazlett used her capstone project to expand a coffee grounds program for her employer.

Inside Tinker Coffee, O’Neill Sustainable Management and Policy major Skylar Hazlett is serving up more than drinks. She’s also educating customers about composting while helping make the company and community more sustainable.

“Adding more organic matter to the soil helps organisms have more to work with,” she explains.

In between making orders, Hazlett packs used coffee grounds into 5-pound bags.

“We don’t want to just throw away this valuable resource that could go on to provide nutritional value within the soil,” she says.

It was an idea first brewed up by her manager, who started providing bags of used grounds to customers, free of charge. Hazlett is now building on that idea, thanks to her capstone class at O’Neill.

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O’Neill alumna rises in ranks, wants other women to pursue law enforcement careers

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman in a police uniform stands in a hallway. — IMPD Assistant Chief of Police Catherine Cummings (GradCert’13) is only the second woman to serve in the role in IMPD history. Photo credit: Michael R. Abel, Abel Media & Arts

As a top leader in one of Indiana’s largest police departments, IMPD Assistant Chief of Police Catherine Cummings (GradCert’13) knows her position comes with a lot of pressure. But the O’Neill alumna says that pressure extends well beyond her professional responsibilities.

“When you’re one of the first women to do something, you feel it’s very important that you are successful because that matters to the people who are coming behind you,” she says. “One of the reasons I take this job very seriously is so that other women will have a better and more professional road than I had.”

Cummings is only the second woman to serve as an assistant chief within the department. She worked her way up from a patrol officer through various positions but admits the climb wasn’t always easy. Especially as a woman in law enforcement.

“I’ve encountered more than one issue of misogyny,” she admits.

She thinks back to her time at the academy. She was excelling both physically and academically but says that wasn’t enough for some in her class.

“Even though I was outperforming them, I still had men in my class who had the audacity to tell me women didn’t belong in law enforcement,” she recalls. “For me, those wires didn’t connect.”

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O’Neill to offer new DEI workshops

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman stands a podium speaking to a crowd of students who are seated at tables. — O’Neill’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is hosting a new DEI workshop for students.

Written by: Rebecca Valeriano-Flores, Director of Student Inclusion and Engagement, O’Neill Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

From the inception of the United States until today, there has been a call for liberation and justice that refuses to be ignored. Inequities and harms abound in a country where racism, transphobia, ableism, and many other types of prejudice permeate our society and institutions—and the widespread impacts can last for generations.

Learning about these challenges, how they’re connected, and what we can do to address them is critical to our collective future. That’s why the O’Neill Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is partnering with the IU Indianapolis Multicultural Center to launch a three-workshop series designed to empower students to better understand the issues at play and how they can help.

The workshops are open to all students and will focus on bias and stereotypes, social justice, and using intersectionality as a research method and policy analysis framework. To learn more about the topics and register to attend, visit this link.

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From Brazil to Bloomington: IU Executive Education hosts top-level federal Brazilian leaders

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A group of people walk outside on a sidewalk on a bright sunny day with a university building behind them. — Each year, a group of leaders from the Brazilian government take part in a leadership training through Executive Education.

Each year, dozens of high-level government officials travel 4,500 miles from Brazil to Indiana for specialized leadership training hosted by IU Executive Education and the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Lyvan Bispo dos Santos attended the program in 2018. Now, he serves as an attorney for Brazil and is the legal coordinator for the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

“I desired to improve my soft skills in public leadership and consequently boost my career in the federal government,” he says. “The public sector in Brazil is full of challenges and I needed to be ready to lead teams, coordinate projects, and solve huge legal and social problems collectively. When I learned about the opportunity to attend the program, I decided to apply for it. Absolutely, it was an excellent idea.”

Executive Education Director Sara Johnson stresses that modern global leadership plays a critical role in all societies. She says faculty with Executive Education and the O’Neill School can provide a high-level view of what it takes to lead effectively in the internationally connected world of today.

“Leaders in the public sector must have a broad view of their organization, stakeholders, and policy matters, all while serving in the public interest,” she explains. “Our courses help leaders take a step back and learn how to have a big-picture view of their role and impact not only in their organization, but in their communities and the world.”

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The true calling of Black History Month and Women’s History Month

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Leslie Wells

A woman in a red dress stands with her arms out to her side as she speaks to a crowd. — Jori Mundy (MPA’15) speaks to the crowd at the 2023 O’Neill Women’s Empowerment Summit.

Written by: Jori Mundy (MPA’15)

This time of year is always special for me because it provides the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the groundbreaking achievements, undeniable resilience, and uncompromising fortitude of my ancestors and the instrumental individuals who created the many avenues of revolution we experience today.

Their stories remind us that our call is not only to be great, defy the odds, and excel to the highest magnitude as they did; we also must lift and support others as we climb.

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