Four Clinton School students partnered with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences to identify the health needs of residents in Little Rock’s 12^th Street Corridor and assess the ability of UAMS to meet those needs.

The students worked with the UAMS 12^th Street Health and Wellness Center and the UAMS College of Pharmacy, which have targeted the 12^th Street neighborhood because many of its residents don’t have regular access to health care.

“The UAMS mission is to make a difference in the delivery of health care to Arkansans, and the UAMS 12th Street Health and Wellness Center is one way to do that,” said UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn.

To help determine the perceived health needs for residents of the neighborhood, the Clinton School team interviewed 13 community leaders and surveyed more than 200 local residents. The team also conducted 12 interviews with academic deans and and organized an interdisciplinary student focus group at UAMS.

They collected basic information on current community health services, barriers to health services and ways in which the UAMS 12th Street Health and Wellness Center can fill service gaps. The team then produced a report with recommendations that fit the community’s needs.

The report will analyze feedback from community and institutional stakeholders to ensure the services provided by the Health and Wellness Center are community-focused and supported.

“This project, along with the guidance of our Community Advisory Board, will provide a roadmap for the Center to begin the process of adding new services,” said Dr. Lanita White, director of the center. “ This unique set of data will allow us to directly address some of the health needs in this community.” (more…)

Bowman

Clinton School assistant professor Dr. Warigia Bowman co-authored an article for Aljazeera about the recent presidential election in Kenya which she observed firsthand.

In the article, “Technology, transparency, and the Kenyan general election of 2013,” Bowman and co-author Brian Munyao Longwe, a Kenyan technology professor, discuss the election, its results and the impact of technology on the electoral process.

Bowman, who has extensively studied the politics and public policy of North Africa, started a blog about the election the she updated throughout her trip to Kenya.

Below is an excerpt from the Aljazeera article. Bowman will give a Clinton School lecture about the election on April 24 at 12:00 p.m.

It was a historic moment for the nation, the African continent and the world when the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announced on March 9 that Uhuru Kenyatta, son of independence leader and first Kenyan President Jomo Kenyatta, had been elected the fourth president of Kenya.

Yet, today, almost three weeks later, the Kenyan presidential race is far from over. Raila Odinga, Kenyatta’s main political opponent, has challenged this result in front of Kenya’s Supreme Court. Odinga wants the court to nullify IEBC’s declaration of Kenyatta as president-elect. He also seeks to persuade the court that the whole electoral process leading to that declaration was null and void and that a fresh poll should be held. A core component of Odinga’s argument is that the technology failed on election day.

The youth voice may soon play a greater role in discussions about after school and summer programs in Arkansas, thanks to stories collected by four Clinton School students this semester.

André Breaux of Lafayette, La., Marisa Nelson of Fort Smith, Ark., Lauren Remedios of Bangalore, India, and Neena Viel of Newburgh, N.Y., partnered with the Arkansas Out-of-School Network to research student views regarding afterschool and summer programs in the state. The Clinton School students spent the semester interviewing students statewide to express the youth voice and the public importance of out-of-school time programs.

Through this project, youth gave first-hand perspectives on the value of the programs they attend. The team researched the afterschool and summer program sector along with specific organizations to gain context for their narratives.

“Out-of-school time programs provide high-quality activities and supports during the after school hours and the summer, which keep kids safe, help working families and inspire kids to learn,” said Laveta Wills-Hale, network coordinator  of the Arkansas Out-of-School Network. “After 20 years, there is a growing body of evidence that validates the impact high-quality learning experiences have on youth engagement and achievement. These narratives reflect the positive outcomes being achieved by these programs around the state.”

The Arkansas Out of School Network will submit the stories for inclusion  in the Mott Foundation’s Statewide Afterschool Network publications and resources and for future publication in the foundation’s  Compendium of Expanded Learning Opportunities. (more…)

DiPippa (SYNC Weekly photo)

Clinton School pubic programs director Nikolai DiPippa was featured last week in SYNC Weekly about his role in attracting a diverse array of speakers to participate in the school’s popular lecture series. DiPippa has been involved with the speaker series since 2006 and has served as director the past four years.

Below is an excerpt from the article. Click here to read the entire Q&A with DiPippa:

Nikolai DiPippa meets people from all over the globe right here in Arkansas. He is the director of Public Programs for the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and, as such, arranges public talks from world and local leaders, authors and thinkers hosted by the school. Since 2006, more than 130,000 people have attended more than 750 programs with these leading academics and newsmakers, which have included six Nobel Prize winners, 17 Pulitzer winners, 37 ambassadors and nine former presidents. DiPippa is also the host and executive producer of the weekly KUAR radio show, Clinton School Presents, which is a dialogue with “the distinguished guests who visit the school.”

Rutherford

Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford is giving the welcome address at today’s summit on race and equity hosted by the Clinton School Center on Community Philanthropy

The summit, titled “Racial Healing and Equity in the American South” will commemorate the 15th anniversary of President Bill Clinton’s “One America in the 21st Century” initiative on race.

Rutherford will reflect on the 1998 “One America” report issued by a national advisory board appointed by President Clinton.

He will highlight the current day importance of dialogue, one of the recommendations from the 1998 report. In addition, he will compare the American South of President Abraham Lincoln with the American South of President Barack Obama.

In recognition of this historic event, the Center on Community Philanthropy will welcome back its previous scholars in residence for the release of its second edition compendium.

A team of graduate students conducted research with the non-profit ARVets to identify rural Veterans’ barriers to receiving health care in Arkansas and provide recommendations to overcome those barriers.

Clinton School students Lindsay Kuehn of Minneapolis, Minn., Josh Visnaw of Saginaw, Mich., Sara Chapman of Bentonville, Ark., and Kathryn Slee of Independence, Mo., spent the past year talking to Veteran stakeholders, surveying rural health and mental health providers and researching best practices of providing health care to rural Veterans in the state of Arkansas.

The students’ work capitalized on recommendation from the Governor’s Yellow Ribbon Task Force dedicated to the preservation and protection of services to former and current service men and women and their families.

Their goal was to find the reasons why Veterans are not seeking care through the Veteran’s Administration (VA) and find ways that ARVets can address those needs or help Veterans overcome these barriers to health care access.

Veterans are a higher risk population for poor health in the state of Arkansas.  According to the Yellow Ribbon Task Force report, Veterans are 28 percent more likely to report 14 or more physically unhealthy days per month and 56 percent more likely to report 14 or more mentally unhealthy days per month than non-Veterans.  Additionally, Veterans are 25 percent more likely to have a heart attack, 32 percent more likely to have coronary artery disease and 45 percent more likely to smoke cigarettes. (more…)

“Culture, Society and Restorative Justice: Sub-Saharan Africa,” visiting Fulbright Scholar Paul Masamba Sita Nsimba
Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
- Nsimba teaches restorative justice at North Carolina Central University where he is a Fulbright visiting associate professor-in-residence for the Department of Criminal Justice. From 2002 to 2010, he served as director for the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, which is based in Kampala, Uganda.

“International Development for the Real World,” USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah
Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
- USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah will give a Clinton School lecture titled “International Development for the Real World,” about the practical impact of international aid and development. Shah serves as the 16th administrator of USAID, leading the efforts of more than 9,600 professionals in 80 missions around the world.

Little Rock Startup Weekend
Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
- Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. All Startup Weekend events follow the same basic model: anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. The weekend culminates with presentations in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback. For more information about Startup Weekend Little Rock visit littlerock.startupweekend.org

“A Good Plan is Not a Quest for Certainty,” Kristina Ford
Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
- A professor of professional practice and international public affairs at Columbia University, Ford is the former director of city planning for the City of New Orleans. Winner of the Award for Distinguished Leadership from the Louisiana Chapter of the American Planning Association, Ford was an early voice of reason to mediate the human and civic consequences of Hurricane Katrina on American society. From 2010 to 2011, Ford was chief of staff for New Orleans’ deputy mayor in charge of public facilities, infrastructure and community development.

“A Long Walk Home,” co-founder Salamishah Tillet
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *In partnership with the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault
- Founded in 2003, A Long Walk Home, Inc. is the only organization in the country that uses art therapy and the visual and performing arts to end violence against girls and women. Through their national and local programs, multimedia performances, summer and afterschool youth institutes, campus trainings and workshops, ALWH has educated over 100,000 survivors and their allies to build safe communities and end gender violence.

United States Senator John McCain
Friday, April 12, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. (Robinson Center, Exhibition Hall)
- Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) will visit the Clinton School to discuss current affairs in the United States and abroad. Sen. McCain has led a distinguished career in public office, having first been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982. Winner of the 2008 Republican nomination for president, McCain is currently serving his fifth term in the U.S. Senate. (more…)

The Clinton School Policy Solutions Challenge team with faculty advisors Al Bavon and Warigia Bowman.

A team of Clinton School students won second place Saturday in the finals of Policy Solutions Challenge USA, a national competition among U.S. schools of public policy, public affairs and public administration.

Clinton School students Mara D’Amico, Angela Bukenya, Christine Sumner and Jillian Underwood finished second among eight finalists for their presentation on “Responses to Childhood Obesity in the U.S.” which was the topic of this year’s challenge. A team from the University of Wisconsin finished first while Brown University finished third.

Other schools in the competition were American University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Ohio State University, University of Southern California and University of Washington.

The Clinton School team won the South Region competition in February and competed at the finals Friday and Saturday at the American University School of Public Policy in Washington, D.C.

For more information on Policy Solutions Challenge USA, visit policychallenge-usa.org.

Nimkulrat

A Clinton School student is working with a nonprofit organization in Thailand to develop grade school science curriculum through democratic education, a model that allows students and teachers to participate equally in the process.

Clinton School student Eakpot Nimkulrat, a native of Bangkok, partnered with the Mechai Viravaidaya Foundation to develop the curriculum for the Bamboo School, which offers free, private education to rural children in Chonburi province in Eastern Thailand.

The Bamboo School has been implementing the democratic education model for the whole school system this year. It will be the first nonprofit democratic school in Thailand. Democratic education provides opportunities of students and teachers for equally developing the curriculum that serves their needs and ideas.

Nimkulrat is developing the science curriculum by facilitating the conversation with the 10th grade students and teachers in the Bamboo School. The finalized science curriculum will be published by the end of April and be a model for other curriculums in the Bamboo School. Stories from the conversation will be used to school policy in the upcoming semester.

The Mechai Viravaidaya Foundation is developing new educational ideas that shape students as complete individuals—instilling individual morality, promoting happy self learning, fulfilling student’s potential and promoting good citizenship. Thai education places little emphasis on ideas and creativity skills.

“I hope that this curriculum will provoke the initiative and creativity skills of our students” said Mechai Viravaidaya, chairman of the Mechai Viravaidaya Foundation. “Our school will be like a tailor that makes the learning and teaching to fit individual students.”

Nimkulrat is completing the project for his final field service requirement in the Clinton School’s Master of Public Service degree program. He will graduate from the school in May.