Use networking to create a more sustainable tomorrow

Use networking to find opportunities to create a more sustainable tomorrow

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Leslie Wells

Carli Richard organizes items during the Stuff Swap at the Campus Center (2023).

Written by Carli Richard, O’Neill Sustainability major, O’Neill Office of Sustainability intern

My passion for the environment has always been part of who I am. I grew up on a farm in Northern Indiana and spent much of my childhood outdoors. That lifestyle helped me develop an appreciation for nature and the beauty it entails, as well as a strong desire to protect it. As I got older, I knew I wanted my passion for the environment to align with my future career. Yet coming from a rural area, I was never exposed to careers focused on sustainability. I also didn’t know yet how to build a network of connections that would open doors. But I found both of those things at O’Neill IUPUI.

(more…)

The O’Neill School at IUPUI climbs in U.S. News & World Report rankings

Posted on April 25, 2023 by Leslie Wells

Aerial photo of buildings on the IUPUI campus with the O'Neill school building in the center.

The O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI has received its highest ranking for Public Affairs in nearly two decades from U.S. News & World Report. The school also was recognized for six specialty rankings, the most ever for the Indianapolis campus.

Among 269 Public Affairs schools ranked nationwide, O’Neill Indianapolis moved up to No. 36 for its Master of Public Affairs program from No. 49 in 2022. The new ranking is a three-way tie with the University of Virginia and University of Illinois–Chicago. This is the highest ranking for the school since 2004 when it debuted in the Public Affairs rankings in a tie for 35th place.

O’Neill IUPUI also captured the No. 2 spot for its Nonprofit Management program, the highest-ever ranking for the concentration. This is the fifth year in a row the Indianapolis campus has ranked in the Top 5 for Nonprofit Management.

Two concentrations made their debut in the rankings this year: Public Policy Analysis (tied for No. 32) and Public Management and Leadership (tied for No. 23). O’Neill Indianapolis has four additional specialties in the Top 25, including:

#13: Environmental Policy and Management
#17 (Tied): Urban Policy
#20: Local Government Management

(more…)

O’Neill student uses internship to build afterschool program and nonprofit experience

Posted on April 17, 2023 by Leslie Wells

A woman stands in the grass directing a group of young children wearing coats to line up. — O’Neill’s Grace Boehm developed an after-school homework help program during her internship.

Not every internship is connected to a large organization. Valuable and impactful opportunities often appear in smaller, unexpected places. That was the case for Grace Boehm.

Boehm’s first experience with the nonprofit sector came at just 9 years old. She was on a mission trip to an orphanage in Kentucky that helped children from around the world who had physical and mental health challenges.

“Ever since then, I’ve just had a heart for service,” she says. “That trip showed me how nonprofit work could really impact people and change their lives.”

Her desire to serve is what brought her to O’Neill, even if she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do when she first began.

(more…)

O’Neill alum’s work helps disaster survivors

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Leslie Wells

A group of officials stand together in a room following severe weather. One man is speaking at a podium. — O’Neill alumna Mary Moran (back center) earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree from O’Neill and now uses them to help those impacted by disasters.(Photo via Indiana Department of Homeland Security)

When O’Neill alumna Mary Moran (BSCJ’00, MSCJPS’13) stepped out of her vehicle in Sullivan, Indiana, on April 1, she knew there was a long recovery ahead.

“It was catastrophic destruction,” she recalls.

The small town had taken a direct hit from a strong EF-3 tornado the night before. As the Director of Emergency Management and Preparedness for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Moran was there to help assess the damage and see what state or federal assistance local leaders needed.

“We work the emergency management cycle, all the way from preparedness to planning to event response to short- and long-term recovery, making the community more resilient for the next event,” Moran explains.

Moran’s team works with county emergency management directors to understand what happened before, during, and after a disaster, as well as what they need to address the situation.

“We essentially become the 911 for 911,” she says. “When a county has expended its resources, we’re the next level of help.”

(more…)

O’Neill Career Development course helps student stay on the path to his future career

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Leslie Wells

A man in an Army uniform sits in a helicopter, giving a thumbs up. — Shelby Sykes sits in a U.S. Army helicopter in Germany.

The assignment seemed simple enough. Get a piece of paper and write down your dream job.

“I wrote down aviation,” says Shelby Sykes, an O’Neill Public Safety Management major.

In fall 2022, Sykes was in Stacy Lozer’s Career Development class. As the students worked on their latest assignment, Lozer told them to also write down potential barriers and other careers connected to their dream job.

With each section Sykes drew, he was creating a map of how to arrive at his career goal.

(more…)