O’Neill IUPUI prioritizes students amid COVID-19 changes

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Leslie Wells

The most recent email hit university inboxes, social media, and the news on March 20, 2020. Indiana University was postponing Spring Commencement due to the coronavirus. It was the latest in a series of announcements that started on March 10 when IU first decided to move classes online after Spring Break. When that first email arrived, the staff and faculty at the O’Neill School at IUPUI immediately began making adjustments. They rearranged schedules, meeting platforms, and teaching formats to minimize the impact on students.

But as the virus spread around Indiana and the nation, the university needed to adapt to keep its students, faculty, staff, and campuses healthy and safe. On March 15, IU President Michael McRobbie announced more changes:

Spring Break was extended until March 30.
All classes will be taught online for the remainder of the spring semester.
Most residence halls will close on March 20.
Events are either canceled or postponed. School-level commencement ceremonies—including O’Neill’s—are canceled.
Staff members are to work remotely, if at all possible.

“We had already planned to test virtual advising appointments the week after Spring Break,” says O’Neill Director of Student Services Nicole Amonette. “So we were in a great position to move forward with our plan and make sure we could still take care of our students. That’s our priority.”

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O’Neill School holds onto top U.S. News rankings — again

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Leslie Wells

Aerial shot of O'Neill IUPUI with Indianapolis skyline in background

For the fourth consecutive year, the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington is ranked No. 1 for its master’s program in public affairs in the just-released U.S. News and World Report Best Graduate School rankings. The O’Neill School shares that top ranking with the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. The O’Neill School at IUPUI also ranked third in nonprofit management for the second year in a row.

“The O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs continues to be synonymous with excellence at IU and throughout the world,” IU President Michael A. McRobbie said. “This consistent top ranking demonstrates how the school remains steadfastly committed to delivering a world-class education to the coming generation of leaders and decision-makers. It also speaks volumes about the work of O’Neill School faculty and staff to promote civic engagement that both contributes to improved governance and provides solutions to some of our society’s most urgent challenges.”The Bloomington location also has three specialties ranked first: environmental policy and management, nonprofit management, and public finance and budgeting. Seven O’Neill specialties rank in the top 10 for their fields.

“The O’Neill School has undergone a significant transformation over the past year — a new name, a $30 million gift from Paul O’Neill, a new administration — but one thing remains the same: our commitment to developing the next generation of public administrators, environmental scientists, nonprofit managers and more, all while allowing our faculty to conduct the path-breaking research they’ve always been known for,” O’Neill School Dean Siân Mooney said. “This ranking is a testament to our world-class faculty and staff, the continued generous support of our alums, and our fantastic students, who advance our mission around the world.”

The U.S. News rankings are based on statistical and reputational data about graduate programs at U.S. colleges and universities collected in fall 2018 and early 2019.

The complete rankings are available on U.S. News and World Report’s website.

O’Neill’s My Community, My Vision Fellows help youth groups improve their communities

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Leslie Wells

group of teens stand in front of newly painted mural of tree swing. — Members of the Batesville Mayor’s Youth Council stand in front of one of the recently painted murals. It was part of a My Community, My Vision project with the O’Neill School at IUPUI.

As two teenage girls stood before the Batesville, Indiana, city council, they waited to make their case for funding. They were part of the Batesville Mayor’s Youth Council and that meeting would determine whether they had to go back to the drawing board on their public art project.

In the crowd that evening was Stacy Robinson, a public affairs graduate student from the O’Neill School at IUPUI.

“The meeting actually was a little tense,” Robinson recalls. “Some of the city councilors didn’t like their idea.”

Robinson had been working with the Mayor’s Youth Council for months to help them develop a proposal that would bring a national artist in to paint two murals on buildings in downtown Batesville. The partnership was part of Robinson’s My Community, My Vision Fellowship course at the O’Neill School.

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Alumni advice: salary negotiation, advocating at work, and becoming a consultant

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Leslie Wells

O’Neill alumni are spread out across the globe creating and building networks of support and success. This connection of contacts not only provides a resource for O’Neill students as they work to hone their skills and vision for the future, but it also serves as an invaluable source of advice for other alumni in a variety of fields.

Vivi Lamb, Cheryl Hall-Russell, and Kathy Koehler weighed in on three topics that can help any alum—or student—on their career path:

How to advocate for yourself and others at work
How to negotiate your salary
How to take the leap into a career as a consultant

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O’Neill alumna begins career in corrections in Wyoming

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Leslie Wells

Lauren Kenney sits in a red floral shirt in her office. — O’Neill alumna Lauren Kenney puts her research skills to use for the Wyoming Department of Corrections.

When Lauren Kenney (BSCJ’16, MSCJPS’17) walked onto IUPUI’s campus, she wanted to be an occupational therapist.

“That’s so funny to think about now,” she laughs.

Kenney met with IUPUI’s School of Science before the semester began at an orientation event. She quickly realized her planned path wasn’t the one she should be on.

She walked from table to table at orientation, trying to come up with a new plan and talking to new schools. That’s when she found James Eckerty, an advisor for the O’Neill School.

“His energy was electric and he was so passionate about the school,” she recalls.

She and Eckerty talked through her interests and goals. She thought she wanted to pursue a management degree but Eckerty opened the door to criminal justice.

“James suggested I take an intro to criminal justice course, just to see if I liked it,” she says. “I took one class and was hooked.”

Kenney says she switched her major to public safety management and never looked back.

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