O'Neill alums offer advice for fellow alumni, students

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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Executive Education helps physicians learn to lead

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Leslie Wells

Three physicians sitting at a table, talking. — Dr. Nabiha Gill sits in a group during the the ISMA Physician Leadership Program, led by IU Executive Education.

They see dozens of patients each day, yet the world of a physician can be a lonely and chaotic place. The hectic nature of their schedules and demands of the job often leave little time for personal reflection, peer discussion, or professional development—especially for those who want to take on leadership roles.

“Leadership is a different experience, and you want to have some training in that area,” says Dr. Nabiha Gill, a physician in Indianapolis. “As a physician, your training focuses on your specialty and how to excel at that, but medical school doesn’t train you to be a leader.”

The Indiana State Medical Association wanted to bridge that gap. To do so, they sought out the help of IU Executive Education to create a program that helps Indiana physicians develop leadership skills and improve their own self-awareness.

“We want to help physicians reignite their purpose and find joy in it,” says Janette Helm, ISMA’s director of education and professional development. “We want to provide them with the tools they need so they can experience the highs and the joys of why they went into this profession.”

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Marion County’s home value gap

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Leslie Wells

Family holding a paper cutown of a house in their hands

Homes in predominately black neighborhoods are often undervalued compared to those in other neighborhoods, even when the homes are similar. In Marion County, there is a more than $41,000 difference between the county’s median home value and that of homes in majority-black neighborhoods. The difference means people in these communities may face more challenges when it comes to building wealth. That can have a lasting impact on generations of black families.

As the nation celebrates Black History Month, it’s important to understand the effect past housing policies have had on the black community—and continue to have to this day. The Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy (CRISP) at the IU Public Policy Institute examined how biased housing policies and real estate practices impact the black community in Marion County.

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Alumni donations allow students to learn policymaking through simulation

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Leslie Wells

Students sit together at a table going through documents and reading through policy options, discussing possible solutions to simulated migration issues. — A team of O’Neill graduate students participated in the 2019 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation, working to solve issues of global migration through policy.

It’s been one year since a team of five O’Neill IUPUI MPA candidates traveled to the University of Michigan to take part in a NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation. There, students form teams to tackle a timely topic and use policy decisions to help address it. The topic on the table: global migration.

But the team didn’t get there on their own. Riley Sandel helped with the trip’s planning in 2019. He says they knew the opportunity was unique—but funding was a problem. Without the support of alumni donations, he says their plan never would have come to fruition.

“In all honesty, our team of five would not have gone without the financial help we received from O’Neill alumni,” he says.

A new group of MPA students will head to the 2020 simulation on March 7 to discuss how to create sustainable cities. Donations from the IUPUI O’Neill School Annual Giving Fund helps to make experiences like this possible for students.

Sandel, Stacy Robinson, Michael Weigel, Meghann Bowman, and Josslyn Kennedy know what this year’s group of students will face. Each of them took on a different role in their fictional country during the simulation. Their job was to manage migration.

They spent 12 hours evaluating the issue, developing policy-based solutions, and working with neighboring nations. But beyond the policymaking practice, the team says they walked away with larger learnings that will last throughout their careers:

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