More than forty La Follette students wrapped up their graduate education this spring by successfully completing La Follette’s capstone project. These projects addressed real-world challenges on behalf of clients ranging from NGOs, the private sector, and both federal and state agencies.
The students completed these projects as coursework for the La Follette School’s Workshop in Public Affairs and Workshop in International Public Affairs courses, taught this semester by professors Manny Teodoro, Sarah Halpern-Meekin, and J. Michael Collins.
Working in small groups, the students completed nine capstone projects tackling real-world problems. In addition to building students’ experience and portfolios, these projects helped provide policy solutions to issues facing groups including the International Rescue Committee, the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Madison Metropolitan School District, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
Robert Abrahamian, Jeffrey Eychaner, Chloe Kepler, and Ryan Thiele worked with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) to produce a report on the rate case filing, the process where public utilities file for permission from the PSC to adjust the amount they charge consumers for heat, water or electricity. The report examined if the currently recommended frequency in rate filing was optimal and investigated why utility providers file outside of the recommended period. The students recommended that the PSC reconsider its emphasis on rate case filing frequency and focus more on performance indicators to gauge utility health.
City of River Falls
Katie Gienapp, Johanna Schmidt, Quinn Wakley, and Gilbert Zhang worked with the City of River Falls to produce a report on the feasibility of regionalizing the shared-ride taxi (SRT) services of River Falls and two other neighboring communities. The students examined the current system and two alternatives for regionalization and recommended that the three communities regionalize their SRT systems. In this example of the Wisconsin Idea in action, the students found that regionalization would reduce administrative costs, connect these communities, and increase access to community members.
Alliant Energy
The project for Alliant Energy — conducted by Katie Gabrick, Kevin Jacobson, Andrew VanderMeer, and Zhixing Xu — demonstrates how students can use their knowledge in public policy to assist private sector companies. The group researched ways for Alliant to improve customer participation in Low to Moderate-Income (LMI) energy assistance programs, which are underutilized by eligible customers. The report recommends that Alliant Energy work with the Department of Administration to improve the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program that helps identify eligible customers, among other strategies to increase awareness of the programs.
Madison Metropolitan School District
Another team focused on local affairs by conducting a study for the Madison Metropolitan School District. Matthew Akins, Lauri Asbury, Nate Vander Velden, Dominique Villaseñor, and Mia Williams examined the best way for the district to measure student economic disadvantage. The students examined options to update this measurement and offered both short- and long-term policy solutions, including combining data from MMSD’s material fee waiver process with parental education and race.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
The capstone projects were not limited to Wisconsin. One project for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development looked at ways to optimize the administration of Indian Housing Block Grants (IBHG) for the department’s Office of Native American Programs (ONAP). Zaher Akl, Mary Baumgartner, Angela Maloney, Lauren Rhodes, and Troy Wilson ultimately recommended including work evaluation, increasing organizational clarity, and prioritizing the hiring of tribal members.
International Rescue Committee
Students also covered international policy, with Jon Bechard, Min-Jung Jun, Amelia Lowe, Awa Maiga, Migena Vula, and Hnub Xiong working on a report for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to assess the impact of their financial capabilities program. The report recommended that the IRC invest in high-quality data collection to bolster its program of comprehensive financial education, personalized financial coaching, and access to tailored financial products.
Wisconsin Department of Corrections
Clark Benson, Myranda Breezee, Tatiana Cruz, Jalayna Miles, and Doniqua Smith partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) to improve responses to probation and parole violations. The report evaluated the DOC’s Evidence-Based Response to Violations (EBRV) and found that it was associated with a lowered risk for reincarceration and less severe responses to violations. The students recommended that the DOC conduct comparative analyses with other states such as Minnesota, and that it seek collaborator feedback from community members, criminal legal professionals, and clients.
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families
Zachary Bauer, Casey Hanson, Madison Mehlberg, Grace Stallworth, and Ken Wang identified potential opportunities to improve the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) in-patient mental health services to youth using existing regulations. The project recommended that the department’s Division of Safety and Permanence could use Medicaid funding to provide support for youth mental health.
Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Abigail Bishop, McKenna Goetz, Ellie Karls, Alexis Madson, and Stacey Novogoratz focused on health policy working with the Department of Health Services to assess Medicaid dental care access. The report surveyed many resources including Medicaid medical claims data, geographic data for dentists and patients, and county-level fluoridation data to report on the disparities in dental care access. The report recommends piloting a care coordination program and more.