Capstone booklet august 2016

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

MPA CAPSTONE PRESENTATIONS August 5, 2016

Presenters

Room: CEC 128 Alumni Panelists: James Murray, Nellie Spangler, Harry Bullerdiek, Beth Garber, Erin Moran Melanie Chapman 1:00–1:15 PM Policy (In)Action: A Process Evaluation of the Nebraska Physical Activity and Nutrition State Plan This qualitative case study addresses the problem of rising physical inactivity levels and the challenges that state and local authorities have in implementing, supporting, monitoring, and evaluating a comprehensive state physical activity plan to increase physical activity across a diverse population. The 2011-2016 Nebraska Physical Activity and Nutrition State Plan (NPANSP) was revised by statewide partners as part of a long-term initiative to address rising obesity levels in adults and youth. The NPANSP was framed around the CDC’s health priority goals, which includes three primary strategy areas of healthy eating, breastfeeding, and active living. The focus of this case study is to explore the implementation process of the active living component of the state plan, particularly strategies to enhance policies and built environment to improve access to physical activity in the community. Policy implementation “reflects a complex change process where government decisions are transformed into programs, procedures, regulations, or practices aimed at social benefit” (DeGroff & Cargo, 2009, p. 47). Using program theory (Weiss, 1998), the aim is to understand why did things happen, or not, by unpacking how the intervention is meant to work, thus connecting the process, content, and known outcomes. The process evaluation is framed from stakeholder attitudes, knowledge, and awareness of the key activities that were completed during the implementation process using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with key stakeholders accompanied by document analysis of the state plan.

Hannah Young 1:30–1:45 PM State Government Contracting with Nonprofits in Nebraska Previous surveys from the Urban Institute and National Council of Nonprofits have shown that nationally, and in Nebraska, nonprofit organizations that have state government contracts get paid late, not in full (full costs of services), and/or contracts change mid-term. In this project I will replicate a 2012 Urban Institute survey with nonprofits across Nebraska to gain knowledge and understanding of their perceptions in contracting with the State.

Margaret McNally 2:10–2:25 PM American Red Cross Disaster Relief Operations: Then & Now In March 2012, the American Red Cross embarked on the most extensive effort in its history to improve the ability to deliver services for all elements of the disaster cycle: preparedness, response and recovery. Through this change, the American Red Cross has restructured the disaster response program specifically to fit the Incident Command System (ICS), which is the same system utilized by fire and police departments, as well as national organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in their response efforts. However, it is still to be determined if the new structure allows for a more effective response during a disaster situation. With this in mind, following the change in their response structure specifically, has the American Red Cross provided a more effective and collaborative disaster response in conjunction with local, state and federal agencies as opposed to their response prior to their change? Does this change in structure provide a more efficient response during this time of increased disaster incidences?

Melissa Townsend 2:40–2:55 PM Tribal Transportation Coordination in Nebraska: A Case Study in Collaborative Governance Over the past 20 years the extent to which government agencies work with one another, as well as with external entities, has increased. In response to this, a new area of scholarship in public administration called “collaborative governance” has emerged. Within that scholarship, one area of collaboration that has received little investigation is collaborations between US Federal, State, and local governments working with Native American Indian Tribal governments. Using the State of Nebraska as a case study, this research aims to evaluate the collaborative efforts of these entities within the area of road construction and maintenance.

Room: CEC 209 Alumni Panelists: Matt Eggers, Dennis Snook, Michael Daspit, Terri Herman Deanne Schmidt 1:00–1:15 PM An Examination of Volunteer Motivations: Are Millennials so Different?

According to the Nebraska Civic Health Index, in 2013, 32.8% of Nebraskans volunteered in some capacity. While this number is still above the national average, it has decreased from previous years. One demographic that tends to be missing from volunteering in Nebraska are the millennials (Arends et al., 2015). Contrary to what the Nebraska Civic Health Index reports, research has shown that millennials are motivated to volunteer and participate in community service. The volunteer program at Ted E. Bear Hollow is an example of an organization that has been successful at attracting millennial volunteers. Using Ted E. Bear Hollow as a case study, the question I am seeking to address is what are the differences in motivations to volunteer between millennials and other generations and what other trends may exist.

Zane Johnson 1:30–1:45 PM Recruitment and Retention Strategies for Volunteer Fire Departments Volunteer Fire Departments are a crucial piece of the emergency response system for the United States. In 2014, they made up 69.5% of the total firefighting force in the United States (Haynes & Stein, 2016). Despite these high numbers, volunteer firefighters mainly protect smaller communities (under 25,000 people) that may not have the financial capacity to provide for a career or combination firefighting force (Haynes & Stein, 2016). This study is a case study of three volunteer fire departments to determine what they are doing well and could be done to improve.

Robert Clines 2:10–2:25 PM An Evaluation of the Recruiting Activities Hosted by First Data and the University of Nebraska at Omaha Increasingly, businesses of all types and sizes are requiring potential job candidates to have prior work experience. For students graduating from universities today, gaining work experiences is becoming as important as a degree itself.

More students are attending college today than ever before. Future employers are seeking the best of the best when it comes to potential candidates. Many businesses offer internships to college students, which allow students to obtain real world work experience while still taking courses. To find top talent, businesses recruit students from local universities in an effort to fill these internship positions. The question this capstone seeks to answer is: are the recruitment activities utilized by First Data, conjoined with UNO, successful in attracting qualified UNO students to apply for internships.

Room: CPACS 109A Alumni Panelists: Patrick Morris, Samantha Weiss, Polina Poluektova Schlott, Theresa Crum, Jennifer Talarico Patrick Mauney 1:00-1:15 PM E-Government for Everyone? An Assessment of the Availability and Maturity of E-Government in Virginia Town Governments Electronic government, or e-government, has proliferated rapidly amongst government organizations over the past two decades. E-government research often focuses on large federal or state agencies, city, and county use of information and communication technologies as a tool for open governance. This project will advance e-government research on smaller municipalities, focusing on the 191 incorporated towns in Virginia.

Kyle Porter 1:30-1:45 PM Knowing Where We are: An Environmental Scan for Theater Arts Guild The Theater Arts Guild (TAG), a private, volunteer operated, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, serves the theater arts community in Omaha by “raising awareness of, and participating in, live theater in the metropolitan Omaha community.” Over its 30-year history, TAG has never taken the time to plan for its future. Strategic planning is vital to any origination because it helps “guide conversations about the organization purpose, integrates perspectives from multiple stakeholders, and provides the steps to develop goals and objective that will move the organization forward” (Renz, 2010, p. 206). I will be completing an environmental scan as a foundation for TAG, which will help move them forward to create a full organizational strategic plan.

Steven Jerina 2:10-2:25 PM Private Philanthropy and Mission Drift in Higher Education: A Case Study Across the country, public higher education funding structures have been altered because of policy decisions aimed at reducing both state and Federal government spending. In the contemporary century, the overwhelming trend within the public higher education sector is that these institutions are receiving less of their annual budget from the public sector every year. This puts increased pressure on these organizations to find other avenues to make up the difference. One of the most prominent avenues to solve this budget deficit is to increase the role private philanthropy plays in securing necessary funding. The resulting challenge these institutions face, however, is that this increased reliance on private investors may instigate mission drift. Institutions may feel pressure to alter their management structures, research and development goals, or organizational priorities to fit the donor’s requests in order to maintain that funding source instead of fulfilling their original, intended mission. This capstone project intends to examine the question of whether higher education institutions experience mission drift as a result of the increased role of private philanthropy.

Craig Beck 2:40-2:55 PM Nebraska Legislative Audit Office: A Strategic Plan The Legislative Audit Office is a nonpartisan organization that conducts performance audits for the Nebraska Legislature. Performance audits evaluate the effectiveness and efficacy of state programs. The organization is small and has limited resources to devote towards the development of a strategic plan. This Capstone intends to apply the practice of strategic planning to the organization, while taking into consideration its size and the application of standard techniques.

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