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O’Neill offers new study abroad destinations, programs

Posted on by Leslie Wells

farmer stands in field holding crops for the camera
O’Neill students can travel to Senegal and The Gambia to learn about sustainability practices as part of the school’s study abroad programs.

As global travel gets cleared for takeoff once again, O’Neill students will once again be able to pack their bags to expand their education overseas.

Applications for O’Neill’s summer 2022 study abroad programs opened December 1 and are due January 21, 2022. O’Neill IUPUI students can choose from 10 programs for their summer study abroad destinations, ranging from locations in the Caribbean to Europe to Africa.

The school has even opened a new destination to IUPUI students. For the first time, they will be able to travel to Portugal to learn about sustainable development practices. It’s one of 10 global programs that can help students enhance their education and experience in their chosen field.

Jason Sprinkle, an O’Neill alum who earned his MPA in Nonprofit Management in 2021, spent his study abroad in Denmark, delving into the nonprofit landscape on a global scale.

“Learning while immersed in another culture is not an experience many get to enjoy, and I did not take the opportunity lightly,” Sprinkle said.

“In order for our students to remain competitive in today’s workforce and the nonprofit world as a whole, they must have some international experience,” he added. “These experiences improve students’ practical and theoretical skills, expand their understanding of the world, and set them up for further success in their chosen career.”

Sprinkle also received a scholarship to help offset some of the costs of the trip. Students can apply for a scholarship at this link. Read more about each program below or or visit https://oneill.iupui.edu/student-life/study-abroad/index.html to learn more.

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Small experiences grow into big opportunities for O’Neill student

Posted on by Leslie Wells

Photo of Harper Morgan with black background and floral jacket
Harper Morgan, O’Neill Civic Leadership major and Nonprofit Management MPA candidate
Photo credit: Big Car Collaborative

The fall 2021 semester is busy for Harper Morgan. Between working in the Indianapolis arts community,  pursuing both a Civic Leadership degree and a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management, and volunteering wherever possible, Morgan’s plate is full to be sure.

But it’s not as full as it was in spring 2021.

“I was taking 13 credit hours and had a lot of responsibility,” Morgan admits. “Ultimately, I got into the weeds for a few weeks.”

photo of harper morgan at coffee shop counter with pumpkin, bread, and jar of jelly
Harper Morgan’s volunteer work included Lincoln Lane coffee house.

The nonprofit Dat House—where Morgan had volunteered for two years—needed someone to lead their community center and coffee shop, Lincoln Lane.

Morgan said yes.

“It brought together a diverse group of people with varying needs which helped me restructure my language around what basic needs are and how to help.”

A friend’s autistic adult brother needed a live-in caretaker during the pandemic—someone the family knew and could trust.

Morgan said yes.

“It was an eye-opening experience that taught me a lot about communication and framing language around people with developmental disabilities.”

Another friend’s 13-year-old sister needed a legal guardian until she could be placed with a foster family.

Morgan said yes.

“It was hard—I really had to learn how to check in with myself, to take rest days.”

Many people would’ve taken a step back with so much on their shoulders. They might have scaled back their classes or their volunteer hours.

But Morgan said no.

“I couldn’t give up either of those outlets,” Morgan explains. “When I was volunteering, I was with people who valued the work I was doing. And my coursework was so engaging and stimulating. The deeper I got into it, the more I realized I could use what I was learning to better understand systems that were troubling or failing me and those around me.”

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O’Neill’s Magee focused on helping victims of gun violence

Posted on by Leslie Wells

headshot of Lauren Magee, wearing black shirt standing in hallway.
O’Neill Assistant Professor Lauren Magee

 

O’Neil IUPUI Assistant Professor Lauren Magee spent six years working at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department as a crime analyst. When she left to pursue her Ph.D., she wanted to learn more about the disparities among those who experience gun violence.

“There is an unequal victimization of people who experience gun violence when it comes to location, race, and access to health care and social services,” Magee says.

She started studying nonfatal shootings—and what she found was a lack of information.

“We still don’t fully understand what leads up to nonfatal shootings or the effects they have on the victims and communities,” Magee explains. “Surviving a shooting sometimes comes with physical disabilities and psychological trauma for the victim, their family, and the community.”

Magee says that while there is plenty of data on fatal shootings, there’s no national dataset for nonfatal shootings, and what data is available is limited. She cites a lack of federal funding during the past 30 years as one of the reasons there’s so little research on the topic.

But she hopes to change that—and learn whether taking a public health approach to prevention could make a difference.

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Learning to L.E.A.D. with IU Executive Education

Posted on by Leslie Wells

People sitting at a table in a meeting typing on computers

 

Once a month, nearly two dozen city employees in Indianapolis step away from their desks and briefly set aside their tasks to spend a day focused on becoming more efficient leaders. They’re all part of the 2021 Leadership Education Accelerated Development Class (L.E.A.D.) run by IU Executive Education.

“When organizations invest in developing leaders, they can run agencies more effectively which benefits the people they serve,” says IU Executive Education Director Sara Johnson.

L.E.A.D. is one of the many consulting programs developed by Executive Education that focus on governance, organizational assessments, executive leadership and development, and/or strategic planning.

“We take pride in how well we work with our partners to develop a curriculum that best meets their needs,” explains Johnson. “Our consulting faculty are experienced practitioners with many years of real-world experience prior to joining our team. They use their experience to develop engaging programs for organizations across the country and even internationally.”

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O’Neill and IUPUI Sustainability partner to offer Solutions for Climate Change course

Posted on by oneillindy

Photo of climate protest with lots of protest signs

IUPUI Sustainability and the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI have partnered to offer a course aimed at equipping students with the skills necessary to tackle one of the most daunting challenges facing humanity—climate change.

Jessica Davis, director of IUPUI Sustainability, will teach “Solutions for Climate Change” in February 2022. The class will train students on the most important and marketable skills for sustainability professionals: measuring and assessing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sources using the tools and techniques commonly employed in the sustainability industry; identifying strategies to mitigate GHG emissions; and creating and critiquing climate action plans across sectors. Students will leave the course with sufficient knowledge to qualify for the entrance exam of the Climate Change Professional® (CC-P®) Candidate Program.

This 1 credit hour special topics course is open to all IUPUI undergraduate and graduate students. The course is cross-listed as SPEA-V 260 and SPEA-V 550. The class will meet on February 4, 11, and 18 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“The best way to learn sustainability is to do it,” Davis says. “Our office utilizes the campus as a living laboratory for sustainability to teach students, engage researchers, and encourage our community to make sustainable decisions in their daily lives at home and work. I’m thrilled by the opportunity not only to teach these real-world skills but also to mentor and empower IUPUI students to leave a legacy of sustainability right here on campus. Some of IUPUI’s best sustainability initiatives come from our students.”

Sustainability is embedded into IUPUI’s DNA across its academic, research, operations, and engagement programming. Led by IUPUI Sustainability, in collaboration with many supportive partners across campus, IUPUI has received state, national, and global recognition for its sustainability performance:

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Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU Indianapolis
801 W. Michigan Street, BS 3025
Indianapolis, IN 46202
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