Indiana State Police veteran funds largest endowed scholarship in history of SPEA at IUPUI

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Michael L. Jackson

A 29-year veteran of the Indiana State Police has committed to fund the largest endowed scholarship in the history of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI.

Marv Smalley, a 1980 SPEA graduate, made the commitment through a bequest that will fund two renewable full-tuition scholarships in perpetuity. The Marv Smalley Indiana State Police Scholarship Fund will support one scholarship, while the second will be funded through the Bicentennial Campaign matching gift program. (more…)

Large reductions in prison population can be made without endangering public safety, SPEA study says

Posted on May 10, 2016 by O'Neill at IUPUI

A paper published in the journal Criminology & Public Policy addresses one of the most important crime policy questions in America: Can prison populations be reduced without endangering the public?

That question was examined by researchers who tested the impact on public safety of California’s dramatic efforts to comply with court-mandated targets to reduce prison overcrowding

The results showed that California’s Realignment Act, passed in 2011, had no effect on aggregate violent or property crime rates in 2012, 2013 or 2014. When crime types were disaggregated, a moderately large, statistically significant association between realignment and auto theft rates was observed in 2012. By 2014, however, this effect had decayed, and auto theft rates returned to pre-realignment levels. (more…)

IU Public Policy Institute names Kathy Koehler as interim director

Posted on March 21, 2016 by O'Neill at IUPUI

The IU Public Policy Institute today named Kathy Koehler as its interim director. Koehler will succeed Mark Lawrance, who stepped down last month after leading the successful Thriving Communities, Thriving State project.

Koehler, who earned her Master of Public Affairs from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) at IUPUI, begins her new role in early May.

“Kathy has spent her entire career helping state government, nonprofit, and education sectors evaluate what is needed to achieve their goals,” said SPEA Dean John D. Graham. “She brings a great appreciation of the Institute’s research and knows how to pull the right people together to support the organization’s resources and key initiatives.” (more…)

IUPUI Nonprofit Expo: Bringing students and employers together

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Michael L. Jackson

Now in its sixth year, the IUPUI Nonprofit Expo brings together nonprofit, government and community partners that offer internship, volunteer and job opportunities for IUPUI students and alumni.

This year’s event will take place March 22 from noon to 4 p.m. at the IUPUI Campus Center.

“The Nonprofit Expo at IUPUI is a great way to connect with emerging nonprofit practitioners,” said Alyssa Starr Newerth, the deputy director of Indy Reads. “The students are always very interested in our work and we have made many connections over the years at the expo. We have hired interns and met future and current community partners at this event.”

The expo is a collaborative effort among six IUPUI’s schools. Annually, it is coordinated by the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, IU School of Social Work, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, IUPUI Center for Service and Learning and the IU School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences. (more…)

SPEA study finds consistent link between violent crime and concealed-carry gun permits

Posted on February 26, 2016 by O'Neill at IUPUI

The first study to find a significant relationship between firearm crime and subsequent applications for, and issuance of, concealed-carry gun permits has been published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

The paper, “Firearm Violence and Effects on Concealed Gun Carrying: Large Debate and Small Effects,” found there is a consistent link between violent crime — especially crimes that involve guns — and an increase in the number of people issued carry permits over two time periods examined in the study, said Jeremy Carter, an assistant professor in the SPEA IUPUI.

While the link is consistent and robust, Carter said the magnitude of this association is relatively low.

“It seems the level of debate surrounding violence and concealed carrying far outweighs any observed effects,” Carter and his co-author, Michael Binder, an assistant professor at the University of North Florida, conclude. “We acknowledge that other factors are just as — if not more — important and highlight the need for more refined research to parse out any plausible relationships.” (more…)