Making Mississippi Competitive: Solutions for Building Assets in Low-Wealth Communities

Offers an overview of Mississippians' asset levels, the high-cost financial services many without bank accounts use, and promising practices in supporting asset building, promoting alternatives, and enhancing consumer protections and financial education

Civic Engagement, Volunteerism and Charitable Giving: Americans Retiring in Mexico's Coastal Communities

This study examines whether the American commitment to volunteerism and charitable giving is as evident among U.S. retirees in other countries as it is in the U.S., and in particular, how committed U.S. retirees in their adopted Mexican communities are engaged in civic engagement and charitable giving.As baby boomers - - the generation of 77 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 - - retire, they represent a tremendous potential resource to their communities for public service and volunteerism. A recent study undertaken by the U.S. Corporation for National Public Service (CNPS) determined that the number of volunteers aged 65 and older will increase 50% over the 13 year period from 2007 to 2020, from approximately 9 million senior volunteers to over 13 million.1 According to CNPS, that number is likely to continue to rise because the youngest baby boomers will not reach age 65 until 2029. Furthermore, research has shown that that older volunteers may derive additional health benefits from volunteering such as greater life satisfaction and lower rates of depression.2While the pool of potential baby boomers engaged in voluntary service is expected to grow in the coming years, not everyone in that population is expected to remain in the United States. In fact, due to the rising costs of retiring in the United States, a growing number of American retirees are opting to retire overseas. And, among overseas retirement destinations, Mexico is considered one of the most preferred retirement locales because of its affordability, lifestyle options, and its close proximity to the United States. To better understand perceptions and lifestyle trends of U.S. retirees in Mexico, the International Community Foundation conducted a comprehensive study of U.S retirees in Mexican coastal communities between July and November 2009. A key focus of this research included an analysis of civic engagement, volunteerism and charitable giving trends among the U.S. expatriate community. The target populations surveyed were those aged 50 years or older who are now either retired full time in Mexico or residing there on a part-time basis.Several key findings emerged from the research. Volunteerism and giving to charity is as robust among U.S. retirees living in coastal Mexico as it is among retirees in the U.S. This is especially noteworthy since relatively few of these donors receive a tax deduction for their gifts. Respondents not only give in Mexico, but continue to give in the U.S. as well. These retirees volunteer because of their strong sense of social responsibility, and desire to make a difference in their communities. They report that their volunteer efforts increase their sense of belonging in Mexico, and contribute to an increased sense of community among local neighbors and friends.Respondents engage in a wide range of volunteer activities, most prominently with education-focused charities, community projects, and the environment. Social issues such as poverty, stray animals, economic challenges, unemployment, and lack of educational opportunities for youth concern them. Many retirees are willing to get involved to solve such problems, and report they would even consider Peace Corps service should the program be expanded to include retirees.Despite their inclination to be civically involved, there is a gap between U.S. retirees and Mexican-led nonprofit organizations in Mexico. Many respondents to this survey indicated that they were more likely to start their own nonprofit or to be involved in nonprofits created by other expats than to engage in work with a Mexican nonprofit. This could be due to doubts retirees have about the accountability and transparency of Mexican nonprofits, which often exist in a nascent state. Factors such as cultural misunderstandings and language barriers may also influence the willingness of retirees to engage with Mexican nonprofits. Yet, despite these findings, many U.S. retirees have a favorable impression of Mexican nonprofits in terms of program strength and effectiveness. Nevertheless, the potential for connection between retirees and Mexican communities is rich. Many retirees are willing to consider not only volunteering and giving, but planned giving and property bequests to Mexican nonprofits. At this time, Mexican nonprofits have a limited capacity to leverage this valuable resource. Thus, there exists a very real potential, for the gap between Mexican nonprofits and the U.S. retiree community to increase. This report makes a number of specific recommendations for both Mexican nonprofits, and U.S. policy makers to make improvements and promote future collaboration in volunteerism, philanthropy, and civic engagement

SOCIO-POLITICAL AND NATURAL-ECOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT IN MASSACHUSETTS

The management of urban forest systems is a complex interaction of social-ecological elements where biophysical factors interact with social aspects including policy decision-makers, managers, and municipal and private-sector employees. In the New England states, tree wardens are the local officials responsible for the preservation, maintenance, and stewardship of the public trees of a municipality. In-person qualitative research interviews were conducted with 50 tree wardens throughout Massachusetts to understand position duties, responsibilities, and professional challenges at the community-level. Qualitative research interviews were also conducted with chairs from 13 volunteer urban tree committees across Massachusetts. The value of employing qualitative methodologies in urban forestry, such as research interviews, as a mechanism to inform Extension professionals of stakeholder needs was also explored and further defined. Clearly emergent themes were identified from interview data and explored through analysis and comparison with existing literature. Tree wardens are typically housed in a municipal department, routinely interact with a number of local organizations, including urban tree committees, and are concerned about emergent plant health issues of importance including Asian longhorned beetle (Anaplophora glabripennis), emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), and hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) (HWA). Since eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is one of only four native coniferous trees of ornamental importance in the Northeast U.S., and coniferous trees are notoriously underplanted in the urban environment, the ecology and natural history of its native and invasive insect and disease pests were reviewed in detail. These included HWA, elongate hemlock scale (Fiorinia externa), and shoestring root rot (Armillariaspp.). The use of pest resistant plant material – a strategy known to arborists and urban foresters as employing host plant resistance (HPR) – with applicability of HWA-resistant hemlock trees as potential substitutes for eastern hemlock plantings was explored. It was determined that HWA-resistant Chinese hemlock (Tsuga chinensis) would make a suitable surrogate ornamental planting for eastern hemlock in the urban environment

Spartan Daily, December 8, 1939

Volume 28, Issue 55https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/3001/thumbnail.jp

The Crescent - December 13, 1943

Volume 55, Number 5https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/the_crescent/1455/thumbnail.jp

Science on a Shoestring: Building Nursing Knowledge With Limited Funding

Building the science for nursing practice has never been more important. However, shrunken federal and state research budgets mean that investigators must find alternative sources of financial support and develop projects that are less costly to carry out. New investigators often build beginning programs of research with limited funding. This article provides an overview of some cost-effective research approaches and gives suggestions for finding other sources of funding. Examples of more cost-effective research approaches include adding complementary questions to existing funded research projects; conducting primary analysis of electronic patient records and social media content; conducting secondary analysis of data from completed studies; reviewing and synthesizing previously completed research; implementing community-based participatory research; participating in collaborative research efforts such as inter-campus team research, practice-based research networks (PBRNs), and involving undergraduate and doctoral students in research efforts. Instead of relying on funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other government agencies, nurse researchers may be able to find support for research from local sources such as businesses, organizations, or clinical agencies. Investigators will increasingly have to rely on these and other creative approaches to fund and implement their research programs if granting agency budgets do not significantly expand

The Future of Institutional Repositories at Small Academic Institutions: Analysis and Insights

Institutional repositories (IRs) established at universities and academic libraries over a decade ago, large and small, have encountered challenges along the way in keeping faith with their original objective: to collect, preserve, and disseminate the intellectual output of an institution in digital form. While all institutional repositories have experienced the same obstacles relating to a lack of faculty participation, those at small universities face unique challenges. This article examines causes of low faculty contribution to IR content growth, particularly at small academic institutions. It also offers a first-hand account of building and developing an institutional repository at a small university. The article concludes by suggesting how institutional repositories at small academic institutions can thrive by focusing on classroom teaching and student experiential learning, strategic priorities of their parent institutions

Building Age-Friendly Community: Notes from the Field

Building age-friendly communities is a global as well as a national concern. The purpose of this paper is to explore fundamental tensions underlying the formulation of age-friendly goals and their implementation, based on a review of age-friendly projects and reflections on the journey towards age friendliness in one state (Rhode Island). The authors conducted a comprehensive investigation of the relevant literature on previous age-friendly initiatives, which included case studies of individual projects, meta-analyses of age-friendly work, and educational toolkits for promoting age-friendly community. They also collected original data from ten focus groups with older adults, interviews with key informant service providers, surveys of older adults and observational environmental audits. Through this multi-faceted approach, they identified recurrent questions often not overtly addressed in building livable communities, despite their being central to decisions made in age-friendly projects. This paper focuses on six questions: Age friendliness for whom? Older adults viewed as a burden or a benefit? Age friendliness by or for older adults? Is age friendliness affordable? Should the target be the aged overall or the needy aged in particular? Should interventions aim to change people or places? The Aging in Community Report, (prepared by the authors and submitted to Rhode Island’s General Assembly), reflected decisions made—albeit sometimes inadvertently—in response to these questions. It showed that priority was given to age friendliness over livability, assistance to vulnerable, older adults was given precedence over helping the entire older population, and top-down interventions were emphasized more than grass-roots endeavors. Its recommendations were geared to leveraging or modestly increasing existing resources to better serve older adults and enhancing opportunities for older adults to contribute to their community. Following the release of the report, the focus shifted from modifications of the environment to facilitating changes in individual behavior to optimize person-environment fit

Research Data Management on a Shoestring Budget

In response to mandates from the federal government, many academic librarians face a new challenge to become service providers for research data management. A panel at RDAP14 convened representatives from Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University and a collaboration of seven New England libraries to discuss their strategies in response to the regulations when faced with limited resources. A common theme was to take advantage of work already done by others, including faculty surveys and existing data management resources such as DMPTool and Data Curation and Profiles Toolkit. Spreading the word on data issues to spark collaboration and gaining the support of library administration are key. Positive response from stakeholders can provide momentum to request additional resources and provide instruction on data management planning

Library Materials For Children

Library materials for children cannot be considered alone, because the term library has long implied more than a collection of books. It is fitting that this topic follows papers discussing goals, facilities, staff, services, and children themselves. A collection of materials is a means, not an end. There is evidence that the isolation of materials from the concept of service is not a new problem. Jesse Shera notes that the development in the nineteenth century of the American public library began with collections of books donated by successful businessmen and philanthropists to uplift the minds of the young. When the Boston Public Library opened its doors in 1854, however, those under eighteen were not admitted. The mere fact that collections of materials for youth existed and had encouraged library development did not mean that children were actually given service. 1 This paper will attempt to raise questions about materials for children in today's public library, their characteristics and availability; and to discuss the relation of materials to other elements of library service.published or submitted for publicatio