Closing the Resource Gap: Strengthening the Nonprofit Sector in California

With support from The James Irvine Foundation, Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) used its 2015 State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey to examine California nonprofits, focusing on organizations in the San Joaquin Valley and the Inland Empire. The Foundation asked NFF to look at the challenges facing organizations in these regions, their resource needs, and their overall financial situations both on an absolute basis and in comparison to their coastal neighbors in the Bay Area and Los Angeles

Building Stronger Communities: The Reciprocity between University, Student, and Community through Service-Learning

This three-paper format dissertation explored the impact of service-learning on three key constituents: the university, university students conducting the service, and the community receiving the service. Paper one quantitatively explored the impact of service-learning on university students’ perspective through the use of end of year service-learning course evaluations. Students self-reported their outcomes due to participation as it related to professional skills, communication skills, academic learning, values clarification, citizenship skills, and quality indicators of their service-learning program. Paper one also explored if there was a difference between two types of service, direct (e.g., participate directly with the community) and indirect (e.g., project or tasks for the community), on the six domains above. The second paper took a qualitative approach to understand the perceived impact of a direct service-learning program on the university students that implemented the experience. Final written reflections from recreation students were used to explore their experiences in the service-learning after-school program as part of their course requirement. The last paper used mixed methods approach to measure the impact of the service-learning program from paper two on the middle school population served. Pre and post-test scores were used to measure 6th grade students’ resiliency and character development. End of year program satisfaction surveys were analyzed using a content analysis to determine the youths overall impressions of the program. Findings from all three papers suggest that service-learning was not only beneficial to the individuals receiving the service, but also to the students implementing the service, and the university that supported the service efforts

if More Women Knew More Jokes... : The Comic Dramaturgy Of Sarah Ruhl And Sheila Callaghan

Conversations around women and comedy are few, and tend to swirl around the tired question of whether or not women are funny. Conclusions usually range from, They\u27re not to a few token funny women whose exceptional wit proves the rule that, in fact, women are not funny. Or, if women are funny, they have a specific, feminine brand of humor that has an almost genetic set of differences from men\u27s comedy. In this dissertation, rather than outlining an essentialized poetics of women\u27s comedy, I identify two prominent women writing comedy for the theatre today. Drawing on comic, dramatic and feminist theory resources, I proceed through my study giving two remarkable playwrights - Sarah Ruhl and Sheila Callaghan - a chapter dedicated to illuminating each of their respective comic universes, and acknowledging its place in an increasingly complex network of what this contemporary moment may accept as comic. Building on close reading, interplay with established theory, and my personal experiences interviewing one playwright and producing the work of the other, I examine the comic devices at work in their plays, and the ways in which they follow or differ from the rules that have historically excluded these writers from this sort of recognition

Impacts of Service Learning on Undergraduate Teaching Assistants in an After-School Program: A Qualitative Approach to Discovery

This qualitative study took a phenomenological approach to examine undergraduate teaching assistants’ experiences with CARE Now, a service learning after-school program. The purpose of this study was to identify impacts of the service learning program on the teaching assistants through semi-structured interviews. This study expands on prevalent service learning research by exploring the experiences of students’ leading their peers in a service learning project. Findings suggest that internal motivations, personal challenges and support, resiliency, contextual challenges, transformational experience, growth, and advocacy are all perceived impacts teaching assistants encounter. Suggestions for future research are provided

Promoting Character and Resiliency Among Elementary School Students: An Assessment of the CARE Now Program

Youth, especially in inner-city areas of the country, are in need of effective, outcome-based camp programs when school is not in session. Character and Resiliency Education (CARE) Now (CN) is a comprehensive in- and afterschool program designed to promote academic enrichment through positive youth development with a focus on enhancing character and resiliency. In the summer of 2013, CN was adapted to create a three-week long day camp at a high-needs elementary school in eastern Virginia. Using theoretically-based and outcome focused programming, CN was widely praised for its effectiveness among youth in this summer camp. To assess its impact, a mix-method approach was used, producing desirable results. Consequently, the supporting organization moved forward to fund CARE Now for a year-long program at the same school

Promoting Character and Resiliency among Elementary School Students: An Assessment of the CARE Now Program

Youth, especially in inner-city areas of the country, are in need of effective, outcome-based camp programs when school is not in session. Character and Resiliency Education (CARE) Now (CN) is a comprehensive in- and afterschool program designed to promote academic enrichment through positive youth development with a focus on enhancing character and resiliency. In the summer of 2013, CN was adapted to create a three-week long day camp at a high-needs elementary school in eastern Virginia. Using theoretically-based and outcome focused programming, CN was widely praised for its effectiveness among youth in this summer camp. To assess its impact, a mix-method approach was used, producing desirable results. Consequently, the supporting organization moved forward to fund CARE Now for a year-long program at the same school

Preparing Globally and Socially-conscious Engineers: International and Humancentred Design Projects and Activities in the First Year

In recent years, a number of innovative activities involving early design/hands on experiences have been introduced into first and second semester freshman courses at Virginia Tech. The objective is to excite freshmen about the engineering profession and to provide early exposure to topics essential to their preparation as globally and socially conscious engineers. A number of initiatives including a sustainable development design project, study abroad presentations, and a world population activity have been implemented in the first course. In the second course, a design project with a focus on assistive technologies for third world countries has been implemented

The Science of Policing Equity: Measuring Fairness in the Austin Police Department

This brief is a partnership between Urban and the Center for Policing Equity's National Justice Database, in collaboration with the White House's Police Data Initiative. The brief analyzes publicly available data in 2015 vehicle stops and 2014 use of force incidents on the part of the Austin Police Department. Findings indicate that even when controlling for neighborhood levels of crime, education, homeownership, income, youth, and unemployment, racial disparities still exist in both use and severity of force. We also document that APD has a high level of transparency, and the analysis demonstrates the value of that democratization of police department data in examining whether community-level explanations are sufficient to explain observed racial disparities

The Resiliency and Attitudes Skills Profile: An Assessment of Factor Structure

This study examines the Resiliency Attitudes and Skills Profile (RASP) in an afterschool recreation program with sixth grade students (N=137). The purpose of the study was to inspect the psychometric properties of the RASP and the internal consistency of the RASP global scale and subscales. This article expands on research reported on the RASP. Findings suggest that the RASP measures aspects of resiliency along four factors/dimensions. Suggestions for future research are provided