First-Gen Jags: Shaelyn Brickey

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Leslie Wells

A woman wearing a white sweater is smiling, leaning against a truck. — Criminal Justice major Shaelyn Brickey is a first-generation college student at O’Neill.

Criminal Justice major Shaelyn Brickey had always excelled in high school, both academically and athletically. With her hard work came success, and she had no doubt she could turn that momentum into a rewarding college experience.

“I wanted to continue my education so I would have a larger variety of careers I could go into in the future,” she says. “I also knew I wanted to competitively cheer at a D1 college.”

Shaelyn’s situation was unique—yet, not uncommon. No one in her family had attended college before. She wanted to change that.

“I wanted to stand out in my family,” she says. “I wanted to be the difference and go far. My family had high hopes for me, and they were very supportive of my decision.”

Yet with that optimism came obstacles. First-generation college students often don’t have anyone with experience to help guide them through the process. From applying to selection to finances, they figure it out themselves.

“It was very scary for me to start somewhere that felt so much more important,” she says. “I was scared of the unknown. I was scared of failure.”

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First-Gen Jags: Heather Johnson

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Leslie Wells

A woman stands in front of a window with a building in the background. She's smiling, wearing a blue sweater and necklace. — O’Neill student Heather Johnson is the first in her family to attend college.

From her seat at the front desk in O’Neill’s third-floor office, Public Safety Management major Heather Johnson helps students, answers emails, and gets people where they need to go. Heather is a student employee with O’Neill, and learning each day not only about her major, but also about how higher education functions.

In December 2025, Heather will do what no one else in her family has done: complete a college degree.

“I decided I wanted to attend college to gain more knowledge,” she says.” I always loved learning, and I thought college would help me grow, mentally and financially.”

The O’Neill School at IU Indianapolis is home to 150 first-generation students—nearly 30% of the school—and Heather is one of them. First-gen students are the first in their families to attend college. While that designation carries with it an enormous amount of pride and can change a family’s trajectory forever, it also can include barriers and obstacles other students never face.

Heather says her family was excited for her to attend college, but excitement was all they could provide for support.

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Brandon Sorge: Creating civically engaged communities through leadership and STEM

Posted on October 27, 2025 by Leslie Wells

A man wearing a red striped polo shirt stands in a hallway smiling. — Associate Professor Brandon Sorge joined the O’Neill School in August 2025.

Brandon Sorge has spent his entire career in education.

He’s taught high school math, worked as a K–12 administrator, and served as the director for the Indiana STEM Resource Network.

That’s when he made a switch to higher education. He’s taught on the Indianapolis campus for years but joined the O’Neill School in August 2025 as part of the school’s Community and Organizational Leadership Studies faculty.

“My research interests and teaching have always aligned with O’Neill, and it has always been somewhere I wanted to end up working,” Sorge admits.

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O’Neill offers endless opportunities, internships, and lessons for students

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Leslie Wells

A woman stands at a podium with an American flag and Department of Homeland Security flag on either side of her. — Candace Smallwood (BSCJ’24, MPA candidate) interned with the Department of Homeland Security through the O’Neill School.

It’s been six years since I first walked into the O’Neill School. At that time, I was an undergraduate Public Safety Management major, eager for a chance to explore potential careers, learn the skills I would need to succeed, and see what I could do to make a difference in the world. Now I stand on the edge of my own future, finishing my Master of Public Affairs degree and preparing to launch my career.

In this past half-decade, O’Neill has afforded me opportunities beyond my wildest expectations. I’ve studied abroad in London, Ireland, and Poland through O’Neill International. I’ve spent a semester in Washington, D.C., with the Washington Leadership Program. I’ve completed multiple internships in Indianapolis. Through all of these things, I have grown my network, confidence, and perspective of the world. Each new opportunity has expanded my professional experience and helped me focus the vision of my future career. They have provided both clarity and confidence as I prepare to take my next steps into the working world.

But in between these marquee moments have been seemingly smaller ones—the daily opportunities that have transformed who I am, both in my personal and professional affairs.

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O’Neill School, IU Public Policy Institute remember Professor Emeritus Sam Nunn

Posted on September 22, 2025 by Leslie Wells

A man in a black sweater stands in front of a brick building with his arms crossed. — O’Neill Professor Emeritus Sam Nunn is remembered as an architect of the O’Neill School and a critical member of the IU Public Policy Institute.

From his office at O’Neill Indianapolis, Professor Tom Stucky reflects on the impact of one of his former colleagues.

“The O’Neill School simply would not be what it is today without the influence of Professor Emeritus Sam Nunn,” says Stucky. “He was an architect of this school.”

News was spreading quickly that Nunn had passed away just a few days before. As friends and former colleagues came together, they remembered the role he had played in building O’Neill.

“Sam was the original lynchpin between public affairs and criminal justice, the two foundations of our school,” O’Neill Indianapolis Executive Associate Dean Jeremy Carter explains. “Sam set the precedent at O’Neill for being a scholar trained in a public affairs-related discipline but then using that training to address issues within the field of criminal justice. That combination really laid the groundwork for what has become our standard academic approach within O’Neill.”

Originally part of O’Neill’s now-dissolved Planning program, Nunn transitioned to the Criminal Justice side of the house—the side in which Carter taught, in which Stucky still teaches today, and one that has become a pillar of O’Neill Indianapolis.

“Sam Nunn’s impact on the O’Neill School in Indianapolis cannot be overstated,” says O’Neill School Dean Siân Mooney. “He helped shape the very foundation of our programs, and his scholarship was matched by an unwavering commitment to public service. His colleagues knew him as someone deeply committed to the mission of the O’Neill School, and his influence and legacy of impact will be long remembered and sorely missed.”

Stucky adds that Nunn’s no-nonsense, direct personality—of which he was very proud—also will be missed. As former colleagues spoke of Nunn, he says one person politely described him as “gruff,” adding that his patience for academic red tape in particular was limited.

“He once decided a faculty meeting discussion no longer interested him, so he simply gathered his things and left,” Stucky chuckles. “The point was succinctly made.”

That focus extended his work beyond O’Neill’s classrooms. Nunn also was instrumental in the growth and development of the Center for Urban Policy and the Environment—known now as the IU Public Policy Institute.

“Sam’s initial research for CUPE detailed how local governments raised own-source revenues in the aftermath of reduced revenue sharing,” recalls PPI Director David Swindell. “He studied regional tax-base sharing that showed how little suburban cities were willing to share with central cities. His research dispelled many myths that were popular in the 1990s, and his work has passed the test of time and been validated by many.”

Nunn worked diligently to expand PPI’s impact, including playing a key role in the establishment of the Center for Criminal Justice Research, which has now evolved into the Center for Health and Justice Research.

Nunn’s approach of combining real-world issues and translational science and research not only enhanced PPI’s reputation around the state, it also attracted top academic talent, such as Paul H. O’Neill Professor Eric Grommon.

“One of the main reasons I came to the O’Neill School was to work with the Center for Criminal Justice Research and with Sam,” Grommon recalls. “I always appreciated his blunt takes on policy, evaluation research, and what it takes to balance academic responsibilities. He valued honesty over embellishment and was forthright in a way that fostered trust and mutual respect with colleagues and research collaborators.”

Nunn used his personality and skills to form critical partnerships with groups around the state, including the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. At PPI, he oversaw the production of ICJI’s annual traffic safety report—a report that is still used by state and local agencies to address issues and create laws that make Hoosier drivers safer.

“Much of what PPI is today is a direct credit to Sam’s work and research,” Swindell adds.

Sam retired from Indiana University in 2016 after 23 years of dedicated service to the O’Neill School, its students, and to Hoosiers around the state.

He passed away on September 15, 2025, after a battle with pancreatic cancer and is survived by his wife Lucy, six children, and eight grandchildren.