"Now is the time to consider our future"

“Now is the time to consider our future”

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Leslie Wells

School of Public & Environmental Affairs at IUPUI 2018 Commencement Address

This is a copy of the speech made by David Lewis during today’s SPEA commencement. Lewis was selected as the school’s student speaker for the ceremony.

“I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So, I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.”

“This quote by author Brian Selznick demonstrates that now is the time to consider our future.

Good morning classmates, family, friends, faculty, staff, and administrators.

Many times, when we talk about purpose, we look at it through the lenses of obtaining wealth, receiving fame, or living a moderate life. However, let’s talk about your purpose as it relates to your passion in helping others. Your passion will determine your purpose.

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African NGO leader and O’Neill mentor develop shared knowledge through fellowship program

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Leslie Wells

Sara Johnson and Ngozi Iwere standing together after a presentation. — Sara Johnson (L) and Ngozi Iwere (R) reflect on lessons learned during their time together as part of the NGO Leadership Transition Fellowship Program.

It’s been nearly three decades since Ngozi Iwere embarked on her first social mission in Nigeria. She was instrumental in forming the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa-Nigeria, a group focused on working with communities to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS, while providing prevention education.

Not long after, Iwere founded the Community Life Project, an organization dedicated to partnering with groups in communities where residents were marginalized from mainstream communication channels. CLP partners with those groups to create opportunities for them to access information and resources to address key issues facing their individual communities.

“These groups could only do so much,” she says. “They needed government and governance to work for them.”

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First-generation grad student focused on next generation of leaders

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Leslie Wells

Morgan Farnworth standing in front of magnolia trees on campus — SPEA’s Morgan Farnworth was awarded the Sherry Queener Graduate Student Excellence Award

Only about 1 in 4 SPEA graduate students are first-generation college students. Count Morgan Farnworth among them.

“In my immediate sphere I didn’t know a lot of people with college degrees,” Farnworth admits.

She became the first in her family to attend college. She will also become the first to earn a master’s degree and to pursue a doctoral degree.

Morgan’s academic journey began with a daily commute from Indianapolis to Bloomington, while working full-time to support her mother and younger siblings. Despite the distance and challenges, she was committed to her education. Her life trajectory changed when a faculty member at SPEA Bloomington asked her if she had considered pursing a doctoral degree.

“I was just shocked that I was on campus getting a bachelor’s degree, yet alone thinking about a doctorate,” she recalls. “That really pushed me to think about ways I could achieve my personal goals: making a true impact in a community and helping craft another generation of leaders and scholars.” (more…)

Students on scene for detonation day

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Leslie Wells

Two students stand beside the burned out remains of a car that had a bomb explode inside of it. — Students investigate blasts like this one during O’Neill’s course Investigating Post-Blast Crime Scenes (2018).

For more than a decade, retired IMPD Sgt. Stephen Davis, a member of O’Neill’s adjunct faculty, has given students an experience many people will never have: being on the scene of a bombing and investigating the aftermath. This year, he’ll bring the learnings to life on June 2 and 16 at the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office during the summer 2023 session.

In previous years, the IMPD Bomb Squad, Indianapolis Fire Department, and members from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was already on the scene when students arrived.

“Safety is always first,” Davis says.

Each group of students arrived on-scene with a 25-gallon tub filled with the tools they’ll need for their next project: a tarp, a camera, some sketch pads, and a police report. They’re learning how to investigate a bombing.

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“Something to strive for”

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Leslie Wells

Nichole Lincoln was awarded a SPEA Alumni Association Scholarship. Nichole Lincoln standin in front of a window smiling, wearing a pink shirt. — Nichole Lincoln was awarded a SPEA Alumni Association Scholarship.

Nichole Lincoln’s path to SPEA hasn’t been an easy one. She worked on her degree off-and-on for years, but didn’t commit to finishing her education until she became a mother in 2012.

“I needed to give my daughters something to strive for in this life and to teach them a life lesson: always finish what you start,” she says. (more…)