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Preliminary results of an evaluation of a program that brings college-credit courses to southeastern Ohio high schools show that it increases enrollment in such programs - and suggest that its innovative format is catching on with teachers and students alike.
Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs is evaluating the program, a partnership between Shawnee State University and 13 Appalachian Ohio school districts. Funded by a grant from the Ohio Department of Education's Straight A Fund, the project allows students to earn college credit for courses led by highly qualified teachers.
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|  | | Margaret Hutzel | |
The evaluation team is led by senior project manager Margaret Hutzel, with Associate Professor Marsha Lewis and Undergraduate Research Scholars Phoenix Crane and Nicole Baker.
Although students in these districts previously had the option to enroll in post-secondary educational opportunities by taking classes at local colleges and universities, offering college courses within the high schools themselves has resulted in a tremendous increase in the number of students pursuing dual enrollment, as shown by the data collected as part of the evaluation that Voinovich School staff are conducting.
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| | Marsha Lewis |
Locating the courses within high schools isn't the only innovative aspect of the program. The courses are "flipped": Instead of listening to lectures in class and completing work on their own outside it, students in a flipped course watch recorded video lectures outside of class and complete independent work within class. The format allows teachers to work more closely with students.
"Upfront, I would say that there is more of a time investment required for teachers using the flipped format," Hutzel said. "But we've heard a lot of teachers say that they really prefer it, and that they get more one-on-one time with the students when they're in the classroom."
One major concern throughout the project has been accessibility, because the program's flipped method is technology-based.
"These are districts in Southeast Ohio, many of them rural, high-poverty districts," Hutzel said, "So it is a challenge. These are by no means affluent districts. And yet, the majority of teachers I've talked to have said, yes, we are using the flipped method."
To resolve accessibility concerns, some districts burn lectures onto CDs or DVDs so that students who may not have a computer at home can still watch or listen to the lectures. Participating districts also have ensured that students can access school computers outside of school hours by providing lab time.
"I think it's a really successful model," Hutzel said. "These districts are now ahead of the curve."
Having demonstrated the effectiveness of offering the courses in high schools, the Voinovich School will now start gathering data to determine if there is a subsequent increase in students' eventual enrollment at colleges and universities. Anecdotally, Hutzel said that the interviews the evaluation team is conducting with teachers and administrators show that they believe students are now more likely to go on to enroll in post-secondary education.
"It's a great program to give students a shot at college who might not have had the opportunity to go to college, either based on family hindrances, or their mental hindrances," one teacher said. "And they can say, 'Hey, I can do this.' It gives them that extra boost that they may not have had earlier."
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 Ohio University's Voinovich School is now offering a new degree option for working professionals, providing central Ohio's only Executive MPA program by moving to OHIO's new Dublin Center with classes starting this summer 2016.
Designed for public or non-profit sector employees looking to advance their career or switch career paths, the OHIO Executive MPA now makes it possible for central Ohio executives to get their degree while accommodating busy work and personal lives. The Executive MPA program is a two-year, 36 credit hour program. Courses meet just three weekends per semester at the new OHIO Dublin Center, with a unique combination of residency-based learning and online interaction.
OHIO's online MPA offers a curriculum that's built for the real challenges of public administration. Courses explore topics such as policy analysis, public-private partnerships, and measuring outcomes. Graduates earn an OHIO MPA, the same degree awarded to full-time residential students.
For more information, check out this poster about the program. Those interested in the program should RSVP to attend an upcoming Open House at the new Dublin Center on Friday, May 6 from 5:30 - 7 p.m. RSVP to 877.625.1714 / gvsinfo@ohio.edu.
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 Representatives of university-based institutes and centers from around the United States converged in Athens on April 6-8 for the 2016 Consortium of University Public Service Organizations (CUPSO) annual conference.
CUPSO was first organized in 1979 as a coalition of university-based public service institutes in the south. The organization was founded to support these institutes in their service to state and local governments as they engage in work around contemporary public policy issues.
 "CUPSO provides a forum for networking and information exchange among university colleagues," Mark Weinberg, founding dean of the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, said. "The consortium has a good mix of both large and small institutes and centers."
Across its various workshops and presentations, the 2016 CUPSO conference focused on university leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation and the relationship between public service institutes and government. New this year, the Voinovich School sponsored a pitch competition, where four member institutions showcased their innovative social and public policy initiatives to compete for cash prizes.
"I have been involved with CUPSO for over 20 years and it has been a tremendous asset to me in my role as Dean of the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs," Weinberg said. "In fact, I consider it one of the most valuable organizations I have belonged to in my professional career. The ideas and support I have received have helped shape the programs we have built here at Ohio University."
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 More than 175 people turned out on March 29 to celebrate innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit in southeast Ohio at TechGROWTH Ohio's fourth annual Innovation Celebration. The evening highlighted companies that are significantly impacting the region's economy and turned the spotlight on four up-and-coming startup ventures that are gaining traction.
"The new multi-media, multi-stage, fast-paced networking format really hit a nerve with the audience," Lynn Gellermann, executive director for TechGROWTH Ohio and the Ohio University Center for Entrepreneurship, said. "All of the positive feedback we've received indicates the attendees really enjoyed the experience."
Four "Rising Startup Stars" took the stage to pitch their ventures, including:
- Ben Lachman, Co-Founder of Sense Labs, LLC, a company that has developed an intelligent energy tracker to help users reduce electricity usage and carbon footprint;
- Greg Merril, CEO of YOST Labs, one of the fastest growing tech companies in Ohio specializing in patented sensor technologies enabling motion and position tracking in many upcoming products;
- David Carter, Co-Founder of Jersey Watch, a company that helps youth sports organizations creatively use digital technology to impact their players, followers and fans through free custom-built websites; and,
- Rich Sloan, CEO of FWD:Energy, Inc., a renewable energy business focused on converting waste to energy through renewable energy plants and other commercially valuable products.
"It is through these stars that our university and our region will continue to achieve great things," Ohio University President Roderick McDavis said as he welcomed attendees to the Innovation Celebration. "I am truly proud of all that we have accomplished, and I am inspired by the potential of the future."
Ohio University student entrepreneurs were also featured.
"The Innovation Celebration was a wonderful event that brought together entrepreneurs from the community," student entrepreneur Kate Clausen, said. Clausen presented at the event on behalf of Vaylenx, a startup venture producing CNP-1, a nanoparticle larvicide that kills mosquitoes to stop the spread of mosquito-borne diseases that kill over 1 million people a year. "It was inspiring and energizing to see the great things other companies are doing, and it motivated my team even more to make Vaylenx a success."
TechGROWTH Ohio also surprised the audience with its premiere of Driving the Innovation Engine: Entrepreneurs in Southeast Ohio, an inspirational video celebrating regional companies.
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| | Driving the Innovation Engine |
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 Dr. Lysa Burnier, a professor of political science who teaches in the Voinovich School's MPA program, was awarded the Rita Mae Kelly Distinguished Research Award from the Section for Women in Public Administration.
The honoree is recognized for research contribution to gender-related issues; performing research on an issue significant to women's role in public administration and making an impact through research on women's lives. It was created in 1991 to honor Dr. Rita Mae Kelly, renowned scholar and women's rights leader, who founded the Center for Empowerment and Global-Local Equity (1996), served as dean of School of Social Sciences (1996-2001) and held the Distinguished Chair In Applied Ethics at the University of Texas-Dallas, She received the section's first Distinguished Research Award.
"Through your teaching and published research you have contributed to the transformation of public administration. Your seminal work has raised issues and sparked exciting dialogues in gender analysis and public administration and development of the notion of care-centered administration; in the recovery of women's contributions in the history of public administration-including Jane Addams, Frances Perkins, and Laverne Burchfield; and finally, advocacy in public administration education of women's interests, competencies and unique potential," says Dr. Hillary Knepper, SWPA Vice Chair, in the award letter.
"Your outstanding track record of gender related research has made an indelible impact on the position of women in the field of public administration, and we are privileged to honor you with this award."
The award was presented during the 2016 SWPA Annual Breakfast, on Monday, March 21, at the American Society for Public Administration annual meeting in Seattle, WA.
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Two students in the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs Master of Science in Environmental Studies (MSES) program were on the top-placing teams in a regional competition sponsored by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) Student Simulation Competition on climate change.
In the competition, teams of up to 21 students from universities across the world were asked to create an achievable plan to limit global warming, and competed at regional locations around the globe. MSES student Alexandra Sargent's team won and MSES student Courtney Donker's took second place in the Midwestern NASPAA competition, held Saturday, Feb. 27.
The NASPAA simulation allowed students to build their networking and interaction skills while working to quickly produce climate solutions across many sectors. Organizers sent a 50-page brief on Thursday, Feb. 25 expecting students to have digested it by Saturday morning with travel and a Friday mixer in between. On Saturday, each group prepared a six-page written report and an oral presentation for judges.
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| | Alexandra Sargent
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"The NASPAA event was a great networking opportunity, and I met some truly wonderful individuals from universities around the Midwest," Sargent said. "I think we were successful because of the amount of collaboration we did as a group -- it was not easy, mind you, since we had many vocal, strong-willed individuals representing different stakeholders, but it made for great debate and conversation."
The simulation emphasized the numerical values within climate change models and intellectual debate among sectors for enacting policy changes. The internal debate involved the complexities surrounding stakeholders, gross domestic product, agriculture and land use, fossil fuel retirement, research and development into new technology, and more.
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| | Courtney Donkor |
"The advantage of taking part in this competition was the ability to learn about modeling techniques, the economics between sector interests, and the vested, environmental losses or gains with the prioritization of industry," Donkor said. "The collaborative group work equated to a better understanding of the complexities with an increased number of solutions."
Donkor served as a Climate Hawk, which meant that her sector mitigated implementation strategies among the other sectors such as sustainable energy, fossil fuels, agriculture, and human population and consumption.
The final presentations, posted on YouTube, are a summation of a long day of work, combining all aspects of the globally intertwined and complex topics within climate change.
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| | Jennifer Smolowitz (L) with Valerie Leach (R), Adolescent/Transition Age Youth Behavioral Health Administrator, OhioMHAS |
Voinovich School graduate, Jennifer Smolowitz, is a community educator for the Mental Health Association (MHA) in the state of Delaware, where more than 100,000 people are affected by mental illness and a suicide takes place every 3.5 days. Smolowitz, who received a BS in Professional Studies with minors in Sociology and Health from West Chester University in 2010 and a Master of Public Administration from the Voinovich School in 2014, now oversees statewide, peer-led support groups designed for people with depression and/or anxiety. Smolowitz also works with grief groups, which serve those who have lost someone to suicide, an accident or murder.
"I enjoy what I do - no two days are the same and I enjoy the office environment where I work," Smolowitz said. "My boss is really good about encouraging a good work/life balance, which is especially important seeing as the subject at hand can sometimes be overwhelming."
Through her position at the MHA, Smolowitz gives mental health presentations to various community organizations and oversees the organization's partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health. In 2015, she co-chaired a Community Mental Health conference on understanding mental wellness.
Additionally, Smolowitz chairs a subcommittee of the Delaware Suicide Prevention Coalition called GetRightSideUp, which runs a campaign designed to promote youth suicide prevention across the state. Last year, the group sponsored a student competition to produce Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on the topic of suicide prevention. The winning PSA was aired in theaters across Delaware, promoting the message that suicide is preventable and that those with suicidal thoughts can get help.
Smolowitz said her applied learning experience in the Voinovich School gave her the skills needed to do her job well.
During her time at the Voinovich School, Smolowitz worked with associate professor Holly Raffle to implement an online alcohol prevention program at many universities. The program, called AlcoholEdu, is administered to freshman before arriving at college.
As her applied learning experience, Smolowitz also worked with the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Her primary focus in the organization was with the Ohio Youth-Led Prevention Network, where she worked with young people to help organize the second annual "We are the Majority" rally in Columbus, which highlights the majority of teens who choose to live positively by making drug- and alcohol-free choices.
"Working with Dr. Raffle and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is an opportunity that I'll never forget," Smolowitz said. "I learned how to work with federal grants, interact with both the public and private sector, help kids reach their goals and so much more."
Raffle said that working with Smolowitz was memorable for her as well.
"I really enjoyed seeing Jennifer build her public administration toolkit during her time in Athens," Raffle said. "At heart, Jennifer is passionate about the public and non-profit sectors as well as substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery. While at the Voinovich School, she developed the skills necessary to think critically; innovate; and lead with vision, value and strategy."
Smolowitz praised the quality of the professors at the Voinovich School, and noted that she was able to form very deep connections with many of the Voinovich School faculty.
"The positive interactions with the faculty are top notch," Smolowitz said. "Had I not left my comfort zone, moved to Ohio and received the guidance of the faculty and staff along with my classmates at the Voinovich School, I wouldn't be the same person I am today. I'll be forever grateful for those opportunities, and I still stay in touch with some of my professors. It's nice to know that when things go good, or bad, they still reach out to support us in any way that they can."
Read More
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Ranked in the top 50 innovative public affairs schools in the U.S. by Best Value Schools, and recently elevated to the top 100 U.S. News and World Report Best Public Affairs Grad Schools, the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs finds researched-based solutions to challenges facing communities, the economy and the environment. By blending real-world problem solving and government, nonprofit sector and industry partnerships with education, students are offered unique learning opportunities as they prepare for careers serving the public interest in Ohio University's rural region and beyond.
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Voinovich School in the News
"Canada has a long history of bringing environmental issues into wider human security, development, and humanitarian efforts. The recent re-engagement on climate policy provides an excellent opportunity to advance efforts to address these interconnected compound risks where climate change is a growing concern."
"These grasses, we think, have greater environmental benefits compared with corn. It requires a lot of fertilizer, and manufacturing fertilizer requires a lot of energy, and there are greenhouse gas emissions associated with that," Davis said. "And then we worry about runoff with all that fertilizer, and the additional nitrogen and phosphorus in our waterways."
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Rich Sloan, CEO of FWD:Energy talked about his work with TechGROWTH Ohio while building FWD:Energy.
"The fact that TechGROWTH was willing to step up early and significantly with funding sent a signal to other potential investors that FWD:Energy was a company worth investing in," said Sloan. "That sparked a lot of relationships with other investors that might have been harder to establish were it not for TechGROWTH's commitment."
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Impact & Innovation is written and created by undergraduate students Diana Wiebe, M.C. Tilton, Jasmine Grillmeier and Daniel Kington.
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