Twelve teams of students from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service will complete public service projects in partnership with public agencies, community initiatives, academic ventures, and nonprofit organizations across Arkansas during the 2014-2015 academic year.
As part of the school’s Master of Public Service degree program, the students will earn academic credit for their work on the projects, which include efforts to end childhood hunger in Arkansas, enhance health services, eliminate substandard housing, improve education access, and increase Internet bandwidth access for Arkansans, among others.
Organizations partnering with the Clinton School on the projects are located throughout Arkansas including Garland County, Newport, and Pine Bluff. Several of the projects are statewide initiatives, as well.
“Our program is unique because we put our students into the field right away so they can not only make a positive impact, but also learn how to be better public servants,” said Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford. “We are grateful to all of our partner organizations and look forward to seeing the positive results of each project.”
The projects are part of the Clinton School’s Practicum program, the first of three public service projects completed during the two-year master’s degree program.
Forty-six Clinton School students will participate in the projects during their first year while also completing in-class coursework on topics such as program planning and development, field research, and communication.
The 2014-15 Clinton School Practicum Projects include:
Identifying Behavioral Health Services Provided in Arkansas
Partner Organization: Arkansas Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council (http://humanservices.arkansas.gov/dbhs/Pages/abhpac.aspx)
Team: Amanda Cullen (Panama City, Fla.), Henry Karlin (Brooklyn, NY), Ashley-Brooke Moses (Sharpsburg, Ga.), and Andrew Forsman (Mobile, Ala.)
This team will study the adequacy and availability of behavioral health services being provided in the state. The Arkansas Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council will use the information to aid in their efforts to plan and evaluate behavioral health service delivery in Arkansas.
Exploring the Feasibility of Expanding the Arkansas Commitment Program
Partner Organization: Arkansas Commitment
Team: Dariane Mull (Little Rock, Ark.), Austin Hall (Hot Springs, Ark.), Michael Watson (Washington, DC), and Florence Mueni (Nairobi, Kenya)
This team will explore the feasibility of expanding the Arkansas Commitment program around the state and the region. Arkansas Commitment currently focuses on academically talented African American high school students in Central Arkansas and guides them in becoming leaders in their schools and communities.
Evaluating the Progress of a Statewide Campaign to End Hunger
Partner Organization: Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance (http://www.arhungeralliance.org/)
Team: Abigail Bi (Kumming, Yunnan Province, China), Joyce Ajayi (Lagos, Nigeria), Amber Jackson (Camden, Ark.), and Colin Brineman (Little Rock, Ark.)
This team will evaluate the impact of the Arkansas No Kid Hungry Campaign as the campaign enters its fifth year. The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, lead partner for the campaign in Arkansas, will use the results to determine their next steps in reducing food insecurity in the state.
Documenting Key Processes for Asset-Based Neighborhood Development
Partner Organization: City of Pine Bluff, Ark. (http://www.cityofpinebluff.com/pbar/)
Team: Katherine Brown (Canton, Mich.), Helen Grace King (Pine Bluff, Ark.), and Melvin Clayton (Pine Bluff, Ark.)
This team will support the Turtle Creek neighborhood in Pine Bluff, asset-mapping the neighborhood so that it can help Turtle Creek and can serve as a model for other neighborhoods to identify and mobilize their resources for improvement. These objectives are part of the Pine Bluff Economic and Community Development Department’s efforts to support thriving neighborhoods.
Creating a Healthy Homes Health Impact Assessment
Partner Organization: Clinton Climate Initiative – Home Energy Affordability Loan (HEAL) (http://www.clintonfoundation.org/clinton-presidential-center/about/heal)
Team: Georgia Genoway (Maryland County, Liberia), Maddy Salzman (Wellesley, Mass.), Austin Harrison (Louisville, Miss.), and Coby MacMaster (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.)
This team will develop a Health Impact Assessment centered on the creation of a statewide Healthy Homes initiative, examining housing and health data as well as policies on energy efficiency. The results will support HEAL’s efforts to improve the quality of life for Arkansas citizens through healthy, energy-efficient homes.
Supporting the Expansion of Local Food Program
Partner Organization: Farm and Food Innovation Center
Team: Kerry Furr (Lonsdale, Ark.), Berkeley Schleicher Anderson (Waco, Texas), Brandon Wayerski (Menomonie, Wisc.), and Akaylah Jones (Little Rock, Ark.)
This team will help develop a plan for the Farm and Food Innovation Center to monitor its activities and map its local assets. The results of this project will benefit the center’s mission to increase sustainable agricultural production techniques, provide training and outreach to local communities, and connect local farmers’ products to differentiated markets in service of creating a local food hub.
Exploring Feasibility of Neighborhood Revitalization Program
Partner Organization: Garland County Habitat for Humanity
Team: Emma McAuley (Glenview, Ill.), Jordan Butler (Jackson, Miss.), Anne Haley (Little Rock, Ark.), and Victoria Vander Schilden (Little Rock, Ark.)
This team will explore the inclusion of the Neighborhood Revitalization Project, focusing on rehabilitation of older homes, in the Park Avenue and Gateway communities near downtown Hot Springs. This project is part of Garland County Habitat for Humanity’s goal to eliminate substandard housing locally and to empower residents to revive their neighborhoods and enhance the quality of life.
Developing English as a Second Language Plan
Partner Organization: Literacy Action of Central Arkansas (http://www.literacylittlerock.org/)
Team: Michelle Perez (Maracaibo, Venezuela), Jennifer Guzman (Hialeah, Fla.), Nicholas Williams (Judsonia, Ark.), and Amanda Mathies (Newport Beach, Calif.)
– This team will create a comprehensive action plan for English as a Second Language programming for Literacy Action of Central Arkansas. This plan will serve as a guideline to assist the organization in creating curriculum to teach the critical English speaking and writing skills that are needed to gain and maintain employment, access healthcare information and services, and to engage in family English literacy activities to the immigrant population of the Central Arkansas region.
Developing Alumni Awareness and Recruitment Strategy
Partner Organization: Newport Economic Development Commission (http://newportarcity.org/economic-development/)
Team: Shanell Ransom (Columbia, SC), Joyce Akidi (Pader, Uganda), and Alex Lanis (Ada, Okla.)
This team will develop an engagement and outreach tool to provide information and resources to citizens and former citizens of Newport. The Newport Economic Development Commission will use this tool to continue to enhance, promote, and create increased innovative opportunities for economic well-being by developing and implementing strategies that will improve quality of life and encourage new investment in Newport and Jackson County.
Researching Best Practices in the Recruitment, Enrollment, and Retention of Underrepresented and Disadvantaged Students to Increase the Diversity and Academic Preparedness of Arkansas’s Future Healthcare Workforce Pipeline
Partner Organization: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Center for Diversity Affairs (http://cda.uams.edu/) and Regional Programs (http://ruralhealth.uams.edu/regionalprograms)
Team: Shadeed Dawkins (Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica), Kathryn Baxter (Glenside, Penn.), Eddie Savala (Nairobi, Kenya), and Becky Twamley (Brainerd, Minn.)
This team will research best practices to recruit, enroll, and retain underrepresented minority and disadvantaged students in Arkansas into health professions educational programs. This project will inform UAMS policies to enhance the effectiveness of institutional recruitment efforts, enrichment programs, and related partnerships resulting in a health professions pipeline for Arkansas that is more ethnically and geographically diverse and better prepared to meet the healthcare needs of Arkansans.
Creating a Statewide Asset Map of Services Provided by UAMS
Partner Organization: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (http://www.uams.edu/)
Team: Molly Miller (Sand Springs, Okla.), Sarah Fuchs (Hayward, Calif.), Dustin Smith (Jonesboro, Ark.), and Amy Crain (Hot Springs, Ark.)
This team will identify existing UAMS services and relationships around the state, including direct clinical services, educational programs, research partnerships, and community outreach. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences will use this report to continue its strategic work in improving the health, healthcare, and well-being of all Arkansans.
Identifying Barriers to Bandwidth Access
Partner Organization: University of Arkansas System eVersity (http://www.uasys.edu/)
Team: Nathan Watson (Fayetteville, Ark.), Nouroudine Alassane (Bassila, Benin), Kat Short (Hot Springs, Ark.), and Jessica DeLoach Sabin (Little Rock, Ark.)
This team will study barriers to Internet bandwidth access in the state and develop strategies for providing increased access to Arkansans. The results will benefit the University of Arkansas System’s new initiative, eVersity, which will provide high-quality, accessible, affordable, online education relevant to the modern workplace.
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