Techniques of Program Evaluation

Students in this course work with organizations to produce program evaluation plans. Students do not conduct an evaluation, but rather provide the tools for partners to implement an evaluation strategy.

Public Policy Capstone Projects

The School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs (SPPUA) partners with a set of organizations every semesters through their graduate school capstone courses. These courses place students in groups to collaborate with an organization on a project related to public policy and public administration. This could be a program evaluation plan, policy recommendations, or other topics that are useful to the partner. If this is something you are interested in, you can make note in our current RFP, or submit projects directly to SPPUA’s partnership site, here.

DEI Consulting in Organizations

This graduate level course is 7-weeks long where students will work in groups on projects related to DEI in organizations and businesses.

Examples include:

• A partner might want recommendations about ways to strengthen its ability to recruit and retain employees from underrepresented groups.  Students might examine potential bias in the hiring process or the ways the company demonstrates its commitment to DEI.
• A partner might realize that is customers aren’t diverse and might want ideas on how to diverse its customer base for its products and services. 
• A partner might want students to access its current DEI practices to see if they are effective and/or should be revised.

Public Health and Nutrition in the Community

Students in this course can engage with partners around public health topics and nutrition education. Some possibilities include public health asset-mapping or creation of nutrition materials. Examples of past partnerships can be found here.

Public Health and Nutrition

Students in this course can engage with partners around public health topics and nutrition education. Some possibilities include public health asset-mapping or creation of nutrition materials. Examples of past partnerships can be found here.

Inquiries in Biology

Student in this course can support, lead, and/or create stem-based enrichment with a focus on biological concepts. Students will work in small groups to create and/or implement stem-based programs. Examples of past partnerships can be viewed here.

Math, Magic, Games, & Puzzles

Students in this course design (3) unique workshops for early elementary youth (ideally aged 5-10 years) around topics of math, magic, games, and puzzles. Students do not support existing programming or attend weekly – rather they spend the semester getting to know the organization and topics they will be leading, designing workshops (and receiving feedback from the partner), and then implement the work three times (approx. once a month) during the semester.

Introduction to Mindfulness

Students in this course learn and practice techniques around mindfulness. The community-engaged goal is that they have the opportunity to share their learned mindfulness tactics with audiences, so we are looking for partners who are interested in collaborating with students to lead or create mindfulness programming, or act as conversation partners where topics of health and mindfulness could come into play.

First Year Engineering

We work closely with a number of first-year engineering courses and related student-run clubs to lead robotics and design challenges with youth. While we have a limited number of courses and students, we are able to connections to other stem-based programs.

Cell and Molecular Biology of Aging

Students in this course support elder-engagement activities to support their studies around healthy aging. Partners that have conversation partner or direct engagement opportunities with elder populations are a good fit for this course.

Contemporary Issues in Healthcare

Students in this course spend 2-3 hours a week with a health-focused organization. They can support in a variety of ways, but direct engagement (with community members, in programming) is preferred for the course structure. Students then utilize their experience in the final project and will be guided through critical reflection. This a seminar offered through the Honors Program.

Marketing Research

Students in this course produce a marketing research report. Partners will be asked to make connections to a provided audience so that students can collect and analyze data in order to identify trends and provide recommendations.

Management Consulting

Students in this course collaborate with organizations to provide recommendations around specific goals or issues for the organization. Groups meet multiple times with the organization to understand the goal and provide recommendations and action steps in the form of a consulting report. Example projects could include: marketing consultation, organizational structure, board of director consulting, and more.

DEI Consulting in Organizations

This graduate level course is 7-weeks long where students will work in groups on projects related to DEI in organizations and businesses.

Examples include:

• A partner might want recommendations about ways to strengthen its ability to recruit and retain employees from underrepresented groups.  Students might examine potential bias in the hiring process or the ways the company demonstrates its commitment to DEI.
• A partner might realize that is customers aren’t diverse and might want ideas on how to diverse its customer base for its products and services. 
• A partner might want students to access its current DEI practices to see if they are effective and/or should be revised.

Marketing and Society

Students in this course create a marketing strategy around a community partner goal. This could be a fundraising campaign, annual event, or other communication-based goal. Both this course and consumer behavior operate very similarly with regards to partner interaction – but present content differently to the students themselves. Organizations should have a goal in mind and be willing to work with students to provide insight and feedback on their projects throughout the semester.

Media Advocacy

Students create recommendations around a specific community partner goal related to communications and media. Typically the final deliverable is a communication plan created for a specific advocacy initiative or program. Students may also create content for social media, newsletters, blogs, and more. This is a group project-based course where each cohort of students collaborates with a partner.

The Immigrant Experience

Students in this course are studying the history and trends of immigration in the United States. These will be a focus on how social institutions have shaped the experience for immigrants. Students are able to support organizational partners in a variety of ways, depending on interest and need. For example, they could be volunteering time to an immigrant support program or providing other support to an immigrant/POC-led organization.

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

Students in this course can engage with organizations that work on issues related to the theme of the course, such as housing, economic justice, and immigration. They are able to support in a variety of ways (limited to about 2-3 hours a week), depending on the needs of the organization.

Urban Politics

Students in this course can engage with organizations that work on urban issues, such as transportation or education. They are able to support in a variety of ways (limited to about 2-3 hours a week), depending on the needs of the organization.

Techniques of Program Evaluation

Students in this course work with organizations to produce program evaluation plans. Students do not conduct an evaluation, but rather provide the tools for partners to implement an evaluation strategy.

NU Law School – Flex JD Program

Collaborating with NU Law students to meet organizational legal needs

CETR is collaborating with the NU School of Law’s Flex JD program to identify opportunities for part-time law students to apply their skills, experience, and learning space to support the legal needs of community partners. This student-organization partnership would go beyond a service-learning course collaboration and takes the shape of a student working part-time for approximately 20 hours per week for 15 weeks. Students may volunteer their time or earn compensation through the organization, federal work-study, or stipends through the law school (when available).

As a current or interested CETR Community Partner, this collaboration provides you access to students who could support on some variation of the following projects:

• reviewing and updating employee handbooks and forms; 
• reviewing and updating volunteer handbooks and forms; 
• reviewing and updating such forms as permissions for field trips, photographs, medical care and others related to the daily operations of the partner organizations; 
• conducting legal trainings on topics of interest; 
• conducting ‘know your rights’ programs for the constituencies of your partner organizations; 
• drafting information materials, letters, documents and sections of websites; 
• assisting organizations to infuse legal information into, for example, debate topics, curriculum, presentations, lists of resources, and community events, and 
• conducting compliance reviews related to a wide range of laws including but not limited to, CORI, privacy, drug and alcohol testing, safety protocols, financial reporting, grant management, vehicle licenses, insurance, consumer information, and intellectual property. 

Students are able to complete this work in either the Spring or Summer semesters and have flexibility on the exact project and legal work they take on. In order to host a student in this capacity, your organization must have an attorney to supervise them. This does not need to be on a full-time basis, nor does the attorney need to be a full-time staff member or practicing. Community Partners without full-time legal staff could consider reaching out to a Board Member or other volunteer attorney.

Please let our team know if this is something you are interested in further exploring by emailing service-learning@northeastern.edu. We can put you in contact with the FlexJD program for answering questions and deep diving possibilities.

Public Policy Capstone Projects

Collaborating with graduate public policy and administration students

The School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs (SPPUA) partners with a set of organizations every semesters through their graduate school capstone courses. These courses place students in groups to collaborate with an organization on a project related to public policy and public administration. This could be a program evaluation plan, policy recommendations, or other topics that are useful to the partner. If this is something you are interested in, you can make note in our current RFP, or submit projects directly to SPPUA’s partnership site, here.

Hosting Work Study Students

NU Student Employment Contracts for Work Study Students

The Student Employment Office at NU offers contracts for community organizations to host work study students each semester. These contracts ask organizations to pay between 10-30% of the payment to students (determined through an application system and conversation with student employment staff). Work Study student hours vary from position to position, but you can expect that they would be able to work 5-7 hours a week for a semester. Email service-learning@northeastern.edu if you are interested in being connected!