Tim Delaney, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, spoke to Clinton students today in the Public Service Advocacy class. He discussed the importance of advocating for nonprofit organizations and encouraged us to “listen to our heart,” identify community needs and let the passion drive our goals to connect to people on a human level.

The Wrecking Crew

Posted by BEN BEAUMONT - Wall Street Journal columnist and author Thomas Frank was a big hit last night at the Clinton School. The author of the bestselling “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” and more recently, “The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule,” Frank discussed his views on what he describes as the “misrule” of conservative government. Frank was introduced by Clinton School student and Kansas native Todd Moore. Video of his lecture will be posted at www.clintonschoolspeakers.com.

Delta Visual Arts Center: A Practical Practicum

This was posted to the Clinton School blog by a fellow classmate. Special thanks to all my classmates who made it up for the event. Enjoy! -T

Posted by student EMILY FISCHER - The Delta Visual Arts Center’s Inaugural Event in Newport, Ark., was a huge success on Saturday. Almost 200 visitors attended to participate in workshops, buy art and visit with the 13 Delta artists–Melverue Abraham, Darlene Kirkpatrick Black, Kay Brand, Tim Davis, Gail Fogleman, Judy Gagner, Donia Giannakouros, Austin Grimes, Ariston Jacks, Mindy Lacefield, Julie Lamons, Barbara Smock and Nancy LaFarra Wilson.

The event was organized by the Delta Visual Arts Center Committee and myself along with classmates Joanna Klak and Todd Moore. We have been working on developing the Center since August, and this event was the public culmination of our efforts.


Field Service Coordinator Marie Lindquist, Dean Skip Rutherford, as well as nine other Clinton School students were in attendance.

The Delta Visual Arts Center is a joint endeavor between the Newport Economic Development Commission (NEDC), the Downtown Revitalization and Improvement Volunteer Effort (D.R.I.V.E.), the Iron Mountain Regional Arts Council (IMRAC), the City of Newport and the Clinton School of Public Service. The purpose is to create an innovative center that invites Delta artists to use studio space, sell their work, and teach workshops to the community. This engagement with artists will open the door to hosting a creative economy in Northeast, AR and be an addition to the revitalization of downtown.

Spirit Week

How much Spirit can one take in a month? How about a week?

My classmate, Spirit Rowan single-handedly saved Black History Month, producing a 'double feature' of Black Pride goodness. Spirit co-sponsored the Third Annual "Reel" Civil Rights Film Festival in February. The festival features documentaries and films related to past and current civil and human rights issues in the United States and abroad. Jasmin and I attended "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes" written and directed by Byron Hurt. Byron showed the film in Austin through Hands On Central Texas Cultural Connections film series a few years ago, so I was familiar with the film but no less impacted. Hip hop has to clean its act up, but from the top down, not the bottom up. There are some quality artists - ARTISTS - out there that can bring it, they just need the appropriate (financial) incentive to do so. We are rewarding this senseless... [insert soapbox rant here]... so I hope you will see that Hip Hop is for suckas.

We also watched "For the Bible Tells Me So" written and directed by Daniel Karslake, "Something's Moving" directed by Randy Vasquez and produced by Jonathan Skurnik, and "Where the Water Meets the Sky" written by Jordan Roberts and directed by David Eberts. David Eberts visited the school this past Fall as well so that was a special treat.

The 'Second Feature' was so special. Spirit wrote and produced a play about her mother's life. "One Ninth" tells Minnijean Brown's (Spirit's mom) story from the perspective of a 'regular teenager,'granting an insider's look at the desegregation of Central High. It was a wonderful play; I could hear Spirit's soul in this play - her energy, voice inflections, every idiosyncratic mannerism manifested in the show. Very cool feeling.

Thanks, Spirit for saving Black History Month for me.

first semester: complete

It's done. My first full semester of school is finished. The last time I completed a semester of school as a full time student - 13 years ago!

Well, after all the 'old timer' self references, I feel pretty good. Things went much better than I anticipated. What did I get out of it?

Gray hair. Lots of it. The high academic volume of the drafting process: writing a paper, rewriting, editing the rewrites, sharing the rewritten edits with team members for criticism (constructive, of course), interpreting the rewritten edits with comments from professors, submitting the thoroughly sanitized final product for a grade. This takes time, patience, effort, planning, and energy in a different form than what's common for me.

This elongated process is what I missed in the professional world: an expectation of mindful communication - what am I really trying to say? I worked hard, mind you, on all my documents I wrote, even had several used as best practices for other organizations. This is different. This is thoughtful analysis that I am out of practice, but learning fast.

Don't worry, I'm on my way, though.

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"I came to do a job, not for a job"

Former Little Rock School District Superintendent Dr. Roy Brooks spoke to our Leadership class yesterday. After reviewing a case study on the tenuous relationship between Dr. Brooks and the Little Rock School Board, the subsequent discussion revealed a vacuum of information. This prompted my classmate, Chad Williamson, to suggest inviting Dr. Brooks to address the class. To our benefit, Dr. Brooks responded favorably.
Dr. Brooks came to Little Rock at a critical time: the district was under intense scrutiny by a desegregation court order, a top heavy administration and a divided school board. He discussed key accomplishments and challenges he faced as the leader of the largest school district in Arkansas, emphasizing the importance of “patience and poise” as a leader, particularly in the face of adversity. “When you make decisions on the magnitude of $300 million, you are going to have people disagree,” Brooks said.
Despite leading LRSD out of a 24 year court desegregation order and strengthening business relationships, he openly acknowledged missteps along the way, particularly with grassroots organizations. He encouraged us to “reach out to grassroots organizations. You can enable disengaged people to be active in the decision-making process.”
Though the Q&A segment offered some precipitous moments, the opportunity for an ‘interactive lesson’ was priceless.