University of Iowa-based artist Emily Edwards painted two murals at the Mutchler Community Center in Bloomfield, IA. With input from the staff and community, the artist created a design that brings a sense of energy and excitement to the space and serves as a memorable community touchpoint.

As part of their Senior Design capstone project, a team of civil & environmental engineering students will provide designs, preliminary engineering reports, and cost estimates for a variety of improvements to county parks in Jefferson County. 

A team of law students who are enrolled in the the Community Empowerment Law Project (CELP) will assist Pathfinders Resource Conservation and Development (Pathfinders), together with the South Central Iowa Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) to navigate the complex web of federal and state laws governing youth employment and child labor. The project is driven by the organizations’ shared belief that empowering young people is key to the sustainability of rural communities in Iowa.

The City of New Sharon sought to renovate the building that currently houses its city hall to include other city offices, including the police department and public library. For their capstone project, three students in Civil & Environmental Engineering assessed the building and created plans to increase its interior footprint. Their designs provide an ADA-compliant elevator, a new garage for police vehicles, and exterior repairs to ensure the structure's longevity.

Plans for a new subdivision to be located in New Sharon will be designed by students in Civil and Environmental Engineering as part of their capstone. 

Students from the School of Library and Information Science will assist Pathfinders RC&D staff in managing, archiving, and exhibiting the vast collection of the organization's records, helping tell the story of Pathfinder's impact across the region since its formation in the 1970s. 

Students from Public Affairs and from a GIS student organization will help Pathfinders RC&D develop a statewide database and map of accessibility features in Iowa's parks, natural areas, and cultural spaces.  

A new statewide initiative from Pathfinders Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) aims to help individuals with disabilities and their caregivers better navigate opportunities to enjoy Iowa’s parks and cultural spaces. 

For their capstone projects, students in Civic and Environmental Engineering created designs, alternatives, scheduling, and costs to update a community center. Their work focused on several aspects of the building:  the parking lot, the building's entryway, layout and partition of the mainfloor, and connectivity of upstairs meeting room to entryway. 

Students in the course Policy and Persuasion worked with staff from Pathfinders RC&D and the South Central Iowa Local Workforce Development Board to develop policy directions for issues related to five focus areas: rural development hubs, innovation, resource guides, workforce development, mental health, and community capacity.

Students in a capstone class in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications worked with Pathfinders RC&D to develop strategic communication campaigns and management. Working in teams and individually, students:

Graduate students in the College of Nursing's "Community and Public Health Nursing" course partnered with the South Central Iowa Workforce Development Board to assess healthcare worker needs in the region and current opportunities for high school students to learn about careers in healthcare and pursue a career path in the field.

For their capstone project, a team of graduate students in Urban and Regional Planning developed a comprehensive document to guide the future of downtown Oskaloosa. The Oskaloosa Downtown Master Plan focuses particularly on how use of public spaces (e.g. transportation infrastructure, public property) as well as other public support mechanisms (e.g. policies and programming) to enhance and strengthen the downtown district as the heart of the community. 

For their MPA capstone project, a group of students will conduct research (e.g. literature review, case studies) to better understand the burden to families and individuals that need to access multiple service providers. They will locate approaches that other communities have developed to make connecting with services more streamlined by offering a single point of contact. During the Spring semester, the group will focus on engaging stakeholders, analyzing existing local conditions, and tailoring recommendations to the region.