Daviess County

As Daviess County seeks to expand their childcare capacity, they are working with Deb Getz's Leadership Theory & Practice in Youth Development course to develop a strategy to launch a community childcare coalition.

Community Partner

• Daviess County YMCA

IU Instructor

• Deb Getz, School of Public Health

Project Course

• SPH-F 330 Leadership Theory and Practice in Youth Development, spring 2025

The City of Washington is interested in developing a new city seal. Guided by faculty from the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, graphic design students will team up with the city to produce renderings of a new city seal.
seal.

Community Partner

• City of Washington

IU Instructor

• Francois Gagnier, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design

Project Course

• SOAD-S 450/550 Professional Practice, fall 2024

To enhance the city's image and provide useful information to both residents and visitors, the city will partner with the IU Rural Placemaking Studio to work with comprehensive and graphic design students to design and fabricate new welcome signage. This signage will serve as one of several gateways to the community and reflect an updated aesthetic that matches the town’s progress and creative innovation.

Community Partner

• Discover Downtown Washington

IU Instructors

• Beth Huffman and Jon Racek, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design

IU Partner

• Rural Placemaking Studio, fall 2024

In partnership with the Indiana Landmarks Black Heritage Preservation Program, this project will mobilize IU history students to collect stories of Washington Indiana’s Black history, through audio and video recordings, and identify and celebrate historic African American sites in the community through the collection of historic images.

Community Partner

• Indiana Landmarks Black Heritage Preservation Program

IU Instructor

• Lessie Jo Frazier, College of Arts + Sciences

Project Courses and Programs

• AMST-A 201 Feeding America, AMST-A 358 Hoosier Heartland, Rural Scholars Program, fall 2024 and spring 2025

As part of the revitalization of downtown Washington, IN, Discover Downtown Washington would like to explore opportunities for developmentally appropriate installations that would attract children and families to the historic Meredith Park Plaza.

Community Partner

• Discover Downtown Washington

IU Instructor

• Elizabeth Mooradian, School of Public Health

Project Courses

• SPH-K 450 and SPH-K 507 Physical Activity and Health Throughout Childhood, spring 2025

Public libraries are critical gathering places in our rural communities. As such, libraries in Daviess County are exploring the opportunity to offer lifelong learning classes and presentations to community members in Daviess County libraries through IU’s Discovery Café program.

Events include "Mental Health and Wellbeing during the Holidays" and "Reimagining Opera" at the Oden Winkelpleck Public Library. "What is AI?" will be offered at the Washington Carnegie Public Library.

Community Partners

• Odon Winkelpleck Public Library
• Washington Carnegie Public Library

IU Partner

• Discovery Café, fall 2024 and spring 2025

A new landmark space named the Commons finished construction and opened in March 2024. This outdoor gathering space in the heart of downtown Washington provides opportunities for Washington and visitors to come together, celebrate, and enjoy different types of events. Develop Daviess partnered with the IU Media School to develop a marketing and public relations plan for the Commons' grand opening and to promote upcoming events.

Community Partner

• Purdue Extension-Daviess County
• Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA)
• Daviess County Economic Development Corporation
• Discover Downtown Washington

IU Instructors

• Les Morris, Media School; Rural Placemaking Studio, fall 2024

Cross-dock and transload facilities play a crucial role in streamlining logistics and transportation of goods across networks. Daviess County has built a transload facility on four sidetracks near its shell building. To plan for the ownership and management of the operation, the Daviess County Economic Development Foundation is working with students from the Kelley School of Business to develop a business plan and associated business and finance systems.

Community Partner

• Daviess County Economic Development Corporation

IU Instructors

• Chris Cook and Brett Levitt, Kelley School of Business

Project Course

• BUS-A 569 Field Consulting, fall 2024

Development along interstate exits is a specialized enterprise. Daviess County seeks to understand what kinds of commercial ventures or other development would benefit the area.

To realize maximum development value, students from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Kelley School of Business will work to develop a land use and feasibility report along with a one-page prospectus.

Community Partner

• Daviess County Economic Development Corporation

IU Instructors

• Mitch Berg, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs
• Keith Dayton and Doug McCoy, Kelley School of Business

Project Courses and Programs

• SPEA-L 622 Local Economic Development; IU Center for Real Estate Studies, fall 2024

To offer an inclusive resource guide to newcomers to the area, the City of Washington will work with public relations students to create a digital welcome packet. This packet will be available in multiple languages and feature relocation and community resource information.

Community Partner

• City of Washington

IU Instructor

• Matt Guschwan, The Media School

Project Course

• MSCH-R 349 Public Relations Writing, fall 2024

Washington, Indiana, would like to document its rich and diverse history by highlighting local people and places of significance.

To reach this goal, the city will work with IU students to seek funding sources to support the creation of a downtown history trail. The IU Rural Placemaking Studio will design renderings for information placards featuring historical descriptors. History students will draft content for the informational placards.

The city will also work with IU students to develop web pages that link to information about each trail stop.

Community Partner

• Discover Downtown Washington

IU Instructors

• Laura Littlepage, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs
• Beth Huffman and Jon Racek, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design
• Lessie Frazier, College of Arts + Sciences
• Katie Siek, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering

Project Courses and Programs

• SPEA-V 481 Grant Writing; AMST-A Hoosier Heartland; INFO-I 370 Methods for HCC; Rural Placemaking Studio; Rural Scholars Program, fall 2024 and spring 2025

Comprehensive design students from the IU Rural Placemaking Studio will collaborate with the Discover Downtown Washington design committee to create an interactive photo-op station at the new "Welcome to Washington" mural on Main Street. The station will encourage visitors to interact with the mural and explore the historic downtown area. The city also will work with IU students to seek funding sources to support the creation of the photo-op station.

Community Partners

• Daviess County Economic Development Corporation
• Discover Downtown Washington design committee

IU Instructors

• Beth Huffman and Jon Racek, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design
• Laura Littlepage, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Project Courses and Programs

• SPEA-V 481 Grant Writing; Rural Placemaking Studio; Rural Scholars Program, fall 2024

Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure have been discussed at various levels in multiple geographic parts of Daviess County. Some emerging initiatives, including a cycling corridor to the new downtown Commons, would benefit from additional research and recommendations. This project will partner with students in the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs to create a benefit analysis of enhancing cycling access in the area.

Community Partners

• Discover Downtown Washington
• City of Washington
• Southern Indiana Development Commission (SIDC)

IU Instructor

• Scott Burgins, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Project Course

• SPEA-L 563 Planning and Community Development, spring 2025

The community is seeking analytical insight into daycare issues in Daviess County and strategies to garner support for increasing childcare options and the childcare workforce. They hope to use this information to help the county develop local programs and incentives, establish more accredited daycares, and encourage more people to rejoin the workforce.

During the fall 2024 semester, IU students created a report on local, state, and federal policy that relates to childcare support and workforce capacity and includes recommendations for Daviess County and other partners.

During the spring 2025 semester, IU students will create a report that can be used to solicit local, state, and federal support for childcare, as well as information related to the establishment of childcare microfacilities.

Community Partners

• Daviess County Economic Development Corporation
• Daviess County Community Foundation 

IU Instructors

• Kyla Cox Deckard, Political and Civic Engagement Program
  
• Deborah Getz, School of Public Health

Project Courses

• PACE-C250 Leadership and Public Policy; SPH-F180 Intro to Child and Youth Work, fall 2024 and spring 2025

Odon is a small rural town that has expanded its library district to include all of North Daviess County. Odon Winkelpleck Public Library is in a favorable position to provide accessible healthcare for local individuals who struggle to get the professional help they need.

Public health students will survey and interview Odon Library patrons about healthcare accessibility and research opportunities to leverage library space for accessible health services.

Community Partner

• Odon Winkelpleck Public Library

IU Instructor

• Priscilla Barnes, School of Public Health

Project Courses

• SPH-H 482/582 Research in Health Promotion; SPH-B 492 Research in Public Health Education; SPH-B 692 Research in Public Health, fall 2024 and spring 2025

Over 100 years ago, renowned sculptor Ira A. Correll donated a life-sized sculpture of Abraham Lincoln to Odon's city park.

To honor his work, the town will partner with IU art history students to apply for a historical marker from the Indiana Historical Bureau to recognize his work.

Community Partner

• Town of Odon

IU Instructors

• Melody Deusner, College of Arts + Sciences

Project Course

• ARTH-A446 American Art 1865-1945, fall 2025

The City of Washington and Discover Downtown Washington would like to learn what improvements can be made to their websites so that they are accessible for all.

Students in the IU Serve IT clinic will conduct a comprehensive accessibility review of their websites and offer recommendations for improving user accessibility.

Community Partners

• City of Washington
• Discover Downtown Washington

IU Partners

• Una Thacker, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering
• Liam Quinn, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering
• Laurie Burns McRobbie Serve IT Clinic

Project Courses

• INFO-I 389 Serve IT Internship in Informatics; INFO-I 489 Serve IT Capstone Internship Informatics; CSCI-Y 390 Undergraduate Independent Study, fall 2024

David Wild's Data Science in Practice course will collaborate with Washington Community Schools to examine the impact of demographic change and constituent priorities on future school funding priorities.

Community Partner

• Washington Community Schools

IU Partners

• David Wild, Kyle Stirling, and Jason Gumaer, School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering

Project Course

• DSCI-D 592 Data Science in Practice, spring 2025

With Daviess County’s rich cultural diversity, the Washington Carnegie Public Library would like to engage immigrant communities with meaningful support and engage neighbors in cultural education and foreign language conversation skills.

The library is partnering with the IU Center for Caribbean and Latin American Studies to host an international night on January 27, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m. IU centers, including African Studies, the Inner Asian and Uralic Resource Center, the Center for the Study of Global Change, and the Center for the Study of the Middle East, will host activities and more for residents.

Community Partner

• Washington Carnegie Public Library 

IU Instructor

• Sonia Manriquez, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies

IU Partner

• IU Center for Caribbean and Latin American Studies, fall 2024 and spring 2025

Glendale Fish & Wildlife Area provides quality outdoor recreational opportunities while maintaining 8,060 acres of land and more than 1,400 acres of lakes and impoundments.

Students completing a capstone in the Outdoor Recreation, Parks, & Human Ecology program will create communications pieces to educate visitors about the impact of invasives on the area and engage in invasives removal on the property.

Community Partner

• Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Glendale Fish and Wildlife Area

IU Instructor

• Brian Forist, School of Public Health

Project Course

• SPH-O 413 Applications in Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Human Ecology

Montgomery's Main Street is a vital hub for the town, home to thriving businesses, the fire station, and the post office. The town wants a strategic plan to guide the street's future beautification.

To achieve this goal, in the fall 2024 semester, comprehensive design students created renderings of various elements to enhance the street's beauty, including bump outs, murals, and more.

During the spring 2025 semester, comprehensive design students will create renderings of a pocket park in the downtown area.

Community Partner

• Town of Montgomery

IU Instructors

• Beth Huffman and Kara Rasure, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design

Project Courses and Programs

• SOAD-C 280 Introduction to Comprehensive Design Studio, Rural Scholars Program, fall 2024 and spring 2025

The Town of Odon seeks funding to implement plans to install two new pickleball courts.

The Town of Odon seeks funding to implement plans to install two new pickleball courts. Students will advance this goal by identifying funding sources and preparing grant applications for the pickleball courts.

Community Partners

• Town of Odon
• Odon Town Council
• Frank Roberts Youth League
• Odon Lions Club
• Odon Park

IU Instructor

• Laura Littlepage, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Project Courses and Programs

• SPEA-V 481 Grant Writing, Rural Scholars Program, fall 2024 and spring 2025

Discover Downtown Washington and Washington Community Schools will work with graduate students in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs to create human resource handbooks to support their growing organizations.

Community Partners

• Discover Downtown Washington
• Washington Community Schools

IU Instructor

• Laura Littlepage, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Project Courses

• SPEA-N 522 and SPEA-V 454 Human Resource Management in Nonprofit Organizations, spring 2025

Washington has a thriving immigrant population. The community partner would like to establish a resource center connected to the county health department that would serve the needs of neighbors who are new to the community.

Students from the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs will develop a strategic plan to implement and sustain the center.

Community Partners

• Purdue Extension-Daviess County
• Daviess County Health Department

IU Instructor

• Laura Littlepage, O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Project Course

• SPEA-V 551 SPEA Connect Week, spring 2025

The Town of Montgomery was seeking funding to repair and improve its sidewalks, with the goal of enhancing its downtown area.

The town partnered with the Indiana Resilience Funding Hub to identify and apply for funding opportunities.

Community Partner

• Town of Montgomery

IU Partner

• Indiana Resilience Funding Hub, fall 2024

The Town of Elnora would like to enhance the interior of its town hall and the greenspace surrounding it.

Led by faculty from the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, students will collaborate with the town to create a strategic design plan for Elnora Town Hall.

Community Partners

• Town of Elnora
• Elnora Town Council

IU Instructor

• R. Spencer Steenblik, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design

Project Course

• SOAD-C 381 Topical Issues in Collaborative Design, fall 2024

Washington, Indiana's Main Street has undergone a revitalization in recent years. There are available rental properties ready to optimize for economic growth. The community would benefit from recommendations and strategies to amplify and promote these opportunities.

Community Partner

• Daviess County Economic Development Corporation

IU Instructors

• Doug McCoy and Keith Dayton, Kelley School of Business

IU Partner

• IU Center for Real Estate Studies, spring 2025

To link visitors with attractions and important local sites, the City of Washington will install locally inspired roadside signage to guide and intrigue visits to different amenities and attractions.

The City of Washington partnered with students from the IU Rural Placemaking Studio to form an overall plan, which included graphic designs and concepts, as well as fabrication-ready renderings of roadside signage unique to Washington, Indiana.

Community Partners

• Discover Downtown Washington
• Daviess County Economic Development Corporation

IU Instructors

• Beth Huffman and Jon Racek, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design

IU Partners

• Rural Placemaking Studio, Rural Scholars Program, fall 2024