Explicating Factors that Foster Civic Engagement among Students

This paper investigates many facets of civic engagement by analyzing how college undergraduate students conceptualize civic engagement and by examining factors that predict greater student involvement in political, social, and community affairs.We administered a survey to college students at the beginning of fall, winter, and spring terms, 2001-02.We analyzed survey responses using a structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. The analysis examines how expectations of community and political efficacy, attitudes regarding citizen control of government, and attitudes toward diversity relate to the students’ civic engagement behaviors such as monthly volunteer hours, organizational participation, advocacy, voting, direct political action, and action to promote diversity and social justice in the community. The result of the SEM analysis indicates that expectations of efficacy significantly predict students’ direct political action, monthly volunteer hours, organizational participation, advocacy, and voting attitude. Students’ sense of control over public affairs significantly predicts organizational participation, advocacy, and voting attitude. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to curriculum design to foster civic engagement

Total Employer Cost of Compensation Study -- Phase 2.0

In the spring and summer of 2012 the State of Oregon commissioned a study from Portland State University’s Center for Public Service to examine the single biggest cost of most government jurisdictions: personnel costs. Working closely with the League of Oregon Cities and the Association of Oregon Counties, the state and the CPS research team identified 21 different city and county jurisdictions in Oregon and southwest Washington, in addition to using state of Oregon data. The research team then identified 11 different job titles that were chosen for their range of duties and the relatively high degree of position comparability across these jurisdictions. The result is a detailed analysis of what is called “Total Employer Cost of Compensation” (TECC). What follows in this report is a discussion of the components and categories that comprise TECC along with illustrations and examples of how the categories of compensation compare to one another in the study jurisdictions and job titles. In addition, a comprehensive Appendix in three volumes exhaustively details the conduct of Portland State University’s Center for Public Service - Total Employer Cost of Compensation Study, 2.0 listing many individual elements to arrive at TECC

Diversity Training Needs Assessment

The Diversity Action Council of Wagner College requested a needs assessment for a diversity-training program for the Wagner campus community. A series of informal meetings with students, faculty, staff, and administrators was arranged on March 28, 2007. Several key themes emerged from the various group discussions. They are organized in three categories: (a) Strengths, (b) Issues, and (c) What needs to be done

Capacity Building for the Common Good: PSU\u27s Interdisciplinary Minor in Civic Leadership

Since the early 1990s, Portland State University has furthered its commitment to civic engagement education by adopting an integrated approach to its general education curriculum. As an outgrowth to this initiative, the minor in Civic Leadership was developed in 2004–05. This interdisciplinary minor was designed with the intent to further integrate and sustain institutional engagement with the Portland Metropolitan community and beyond. This article discusses the history, structure, and roles of academic and community partners associated with the Civic Leadership minor, and elaborates the philosophical foundation of the interdisciplinary curriculum that aims to build student capacity for the common good

Culturally Mindful Communication: Essential Skills for Public and Nonprofit Professionals

Intercultural communication is a necessary skill for those who work in the public and nonprofit sectors, and yet there is a dearth of literature available to help public and nonprofit professionals develop an ability to effectively communicate, interact, and lead in a multicultural society. Drawing on research in intercultural communication, psychology, and public and nonprofit administration, Culturally Mindful Communication provides useful strategies for students and practitioners of public service to improve their intercultural communication skills. Topics include: expectations for public and nonprofit professionals in today’s multicultural society frameworks for assessing cultural differences and similarities verbal and nonverbal communication in the intercultural context stereotyping, prejudice, ethnocentrism, microagression, and social privilege as barriers for effective intercultural communication key considerations for effective multicultural teams approaches for effective multicultural community engagement, and leading with cultural mindfulness. To facilitate student learning, several useful pedagogical features are employed throughout the book. The reader follows the stories of two fictional characters – Lavita, a cultural coordinator in city government, and Leo, a program manager at a nonprofit – in their intercultural communication challenges in public and nonprofit sectors. Mini-case stories called ‘cultural moments’ are incorporated to illustrate real-world intercultural communication examples and to invite application of the tools and concepts introduced in the text. Each chapter includes a set of discussion questions designed to build on the intercultural communication challenges of Lavita and Leo and the ‘cultural moments’ as well as activities that can be completed in class or as homework assignments. Designed to offer guidance to both current and would-be public servants, Culturally Mindful Communication will be required reading for Public Administration and Public Affairs courses that address diversity and cultural competence, as well as for practitioners looking to develop their intercultural leadership and communication skills

Functional Analysis and Operations Review of the Oregon Department of Education

In November 2012, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement with Portland State University’s (PSU) Center for Public Service (CPS). This agreement outlines the scope of work for CPS to perform a Functional Analysis and Operations Review of ODE. The Scope of Work includes: 1. Conduct interviews with key ODE personnel, Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ) legal advisors, Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS) staff, and education community key stakeholders. Interviews will be used to determine the extent to which existing ODE personnel have the understanding and tools needed to effectively perform their jobs consistent with the Agency’s organizational mission. 2. Develop a description and analysis of current agency functions and activities. 3. Prepare a recommendation of proposed organizational changes, strategies, budget proposals, and management initiatives for the Agency. 4. Develop both an internal and external set of tools for strategic planning and organizational improvements

City of Longview Cultural Assessment: Employee Survey Report

This report summarizes the result of the cultural assessment employee survey administered in April 2007 to all City of Longview employees. Responses were obtained from 235 people (response rate 67%). The survey results include the following key findings: * Average scores indicate that employees generally support diversity and understand the importance of diversity in the workplace. * On average, employees rated departmental support and understanding toward diversity lower than their personal support. * Average scores on the level of comfort discussing diversity-related issues was somewhat lower than other scores. Some people expressed that they do not feel comfortable speaking up when they see a diversity-related issue in the workplace. * There was a difference in the average score between men and women in their views of gender equality in the workplace. Some women expressed concern over inequality in the way they were treated. * There was a difference in the score between Caucasian/White and Non-Caucasian/Nonwhite in perceptions about overall diversity friendliness and race equality in the workplace. Non-Caucasian/Nonwhite were more likely to say the city needs more improvement in diversity issues. * There were varying views on how to approach the issue of diversity. Some people expressed a strong concern over the presence of bias, stereotype, and intolerance in the city, and the need to address these issues. Other people noted that the city should not be focusing so much on individual differences. Rather, they emphasized the importance of treating everyone equally, regardless of demographic and cultural background. * Some people expressed the need for non-English speaking members of the community to learn English and assimilate into mainstream U.S. culture. * Some employees opposed making hiring decisions based on diversity criteria

Learn from Japan\u27s Earthquake and Tsunami Crisis

On March 11, 2011, exactly ten years ago, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit the Tohoku region, Japan. With the following massive tsunamis hitting the coastal area, approximately 18,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands of buildings and communities were destroyed. While this tragedy was disheartening and traumatized the local communities, it also provides us with important lessons on how to be prepared for an earthquake and tsunami disaster. Professors Ito and Nishishiba have visited the region several times with PSU students and community members from Oregon. In this presentation they will talk about what they learned from people in the Tohoku community and what we can do to be better prepared for the “Big One” in the North Pacific region.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/toward-resilient-futures/1002/thumbnail.jp

Clackamas County Alternate Work Week Pilot Project

In November 2008, Clackamas County, Oregon began a one-year pilot program: switching employees to an alternate four-day work week, with 10-hour workdays (typically 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday). About 828 of Clackamas County\u27s 1,800 employees were affected by the program, which does not extend to emergency service providers. This report summarizes the evaluation of Clackamas County’s alternate work week pilot project based on the data collected between November 2008 and July 2009

Clackamas County Diversity and Inclusion Assessment Report – Phase II

At the request of the Clackamas County Diversity and Inclusion Director, Emmett Wheatfall, a team of experts from Portland State University were asked to assess the efforts made by Clackamas County in the areas of diversity and inclusion. The aim of the assessment was to evaluate the current state of diversity and inclusion in the following four goal areas: 1) The ability of Clackamas County to attract diverse talent to the organization (recruiting and hiring diverse staff); 2) The extent to which the current work culture is welcoming and respectful of people who may be “different” than the norm (welcoming and respectful work culture); 3) The ability of Clackamas County to retain and grow diverse talent in the organization (retention and development of diverse staff); and 4) The extent to which staff members need to expand their skills or use different tools to interact more effectively with diverse team members and customers (cultural competence)