This summer, five students from the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law who are pursuing concurrent JD/MPS degrees will conduct International Public Service Projects in the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service Master of Public Service degree program.
The international service component exposes the students to unique challenges around the globe. The IPSP provides immediate and long-term impacts on the students and their organizational partners.
“Our concurrent students have an opportunity to see how their legal studies impact social justice and public service throughout the world,” said Bowen Dean John DiPippa. “Their experiences also broaden the work they do upon their return.”
Work sites and host organizations are selected collaboratively by Clinton School students and faculty.
These are the participating Bowen students and their 2018 International Public Service Projects:
Salina Adolph – American Bar Association Commission on Immigration (Washington, D.C.) – Adolph will create a comprehensive report of resources and support for immigrants in the United States who are victims of the fraudulent practice of immigration law, and this report will identify the gaps and needs of the issue based on the availability of resources in various jurisdictions. This project will begin the process to provide national coordination for immigration lawyers and advocates who seek to assist immigrants who are victims of the unauthorized practice of immigration law.
Wes Manus – Winrock International (Bangladesh and Nepal) – Manus will provide a final evaluation for the past five years of Winrock International’s efforts of promoting sustainable economic growth, food security and agricultural development in southeast Asia through USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer program. Manus’ work will determine the efficacy of past intervention and help to guide future international development efforts in the region.
Madhav Shroff – The Asia Foundation (Colombo, Sri Lanka) – Shroff will work with the Foundation’s Justice and Gender team and contribute to program development, program implementation, and documentation on commercial mediation. He will also assist with developing a proposal for fundraising to further develop the Asia Foundation’s work in Sri Lanka.
Joseph Stepina – Peacework/Vietnam Campus Coalition (Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam) –Stepina will create a needs assessment for a civic engagement initiative. He will help the Vietnam Campus Coalition determine how to increase civic engagement among Vietnam’s college students and universities.
Allison Tschiemer – U.S. Department of State (Bern, Switzerland) – Tschiemer will serve in the public affairs division of the U.S. Embassy in Bern to enable the exchange of knowledge and values among Swiss and American citizens and to effectively advocate U.S. foreign policy interests and American democratic principles across various media platforms.
“Having the opportunity to participate in high quality international and related work helps make the Clinton School experience special for our students,” said Clinton School Dean James L. “Skip” Rutherford. “The 2018 projects are exceptional.”
The Clinton School has now placed students in 89 countries since 2006 – 46 percent of the State Department’s 195 recognized independent states. This includes Namibia, France, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, three countries that are new IPSP host locations in 2018.
The Clinton School will be working with 22 new partner organizations this summer, including The Asia Foundation, American Bar Association, and Women Political Leaders Global Forum. There will be 12 returning partners, including Winrock International, Vital Voices, MassChallenge Israel, and Landesa.
Bowen and the Clinton School offer the only concurrent JD/MPS in the United States. For more information, visit our website.
