Springfield Community Sustainable Development Project Includes a Tuition Waiver and an Academic Year Stipend of $9,200 for Graduate Students.

This is a grant project that MSU will be working on this year with the Community Partnership of the Ozarks and the Springfield Community Focus Report team to develop a new process to identify community red flags that are measurable and incorporate sustainable community development goals. This is a great opportunity for graduate students interested in sustainability or community development projects.

Project Summary: Missouri State University, Community Partnership of the Ozarks and Community Focus Report team will work together to develop a program that incorporates sustainable community development goals into the Springfield Community Focus Report program. The process will include CPO collaborative groups, Community Focus Report team, and input from a wide range of local organizations, stakeholders, and community reports. A graduate student from MSU will work with the team to coordinate the project.

Needs and Objectives: A structured, performance-driven plan for setting goals to improve community sustainability is needed in the Springfield area. Currently, they have a good collaborative network, however, these groups could begin working more in tandem on these community wide goals. Organizations are doing a good job at working with other organizations in their field, but rarely branch out to work on community wide issues.

Project Area: Springfield metropolitan area.

Project timeline: September 2022-May 2023

Benefits: Compensation includes a tuition waiver and an academic year stipend of $9,200. The benefits of this project is community driven, measurable goals, that leverage existing resources and can be communicated throughout the community. These goals will then be incorporated into the Springfield Community Focus Report program.

Methodology: The Sustainability Coordinator at MSU will supervise the GA. The CPO Director and the Community Focus Report team will provide support and assistance. The GA will work with the overall project team to coordinate meetings, help prioritize tasks, and assist in the development of the overall final product. The GA will also help establish a data hub that provides information about the goals and performance tracking.

Essential GA Duties:

• Work 20 hours per week
• Attend meetings
• Work remotely, except for in-person meetings and events
• Become knowledgeable of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Springfield Community Focus Report
• Work with all parties to develop community goals and tracking system
• Develop a data hub for information and goal performance
• Complete other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:

• Strong written and verbal communication and organizational skills, as well as the ability to relate to and interact with community members and organizations.
• Be energetic, creative, able to work independently and unsupervised, be a quick learner, flexible (both in work schedule and attitude), sensitive, open-minded, and able to function effectively under unusual stress.
• Must have completed a Bachelor’s Degree and be accepted into a graduate program at Missouri State University.

Application Instructions: Email resume and graduate assistantship application to Sustainability Coordinator, Doug Neidigh at Neidigh2009@missouristate.edu