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.

Chemical Engineering Capstone

Student go through an in-depth research exercise around aspects of chemical engineering. This could include environmental testing or air/water quality research. Example projects could also include development of pilot technology for energy saving, indoor gardens, etc. Possibilities can be discussed with faculty and student groups in advance of the semester.

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.

Data Storytelling

This course envisions collaborating with community groups who have quantitative and qualitative data about their programs that they are ready and willing to share and be written about in public settings. This could include analysis and story-finding. The students will be producing data journalism pieces using various interactive technologies, which could be repurposed by the partner groups to support their reporting, advocacy, or other goals.

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.

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.

Techniques of Policy Analysis

Students in this course work with organizations to produce policy recommendations based on a city or organizational challenge. This course would like to collaborate with a local-level public or non-profit agency involved in solving community problems and serving the public interest. Public policy issues to be covered: homelessness, public transportation, social services, healthcare, environmental policy, climate change planning and adaptation, immigration and migration, social equity and racial justice.

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!

Learn more here: https://studentemployment.northeastern.edu/off-campus-work-study-on-campus-employers (on “contents” menu, click “off-campus work study”.