COPC ANNUAL REPORT Jan 2001

NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION

A collaborative arrangement with the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana to work with residents to provide the foundations for a plan for changes in their neighborhood.
• Completion of the draft of a GIS study of Trash and Refuse collection by Professor William Warren.
• Working with a City Task Force on solid waste removal to develop a plan for improving the trash and refuse system in Springfield.
• Increased commitment of resources by the Physical Plant department at UIS to work on specific projects in the neighborhood.
• Completion of the first edition of a video that can be used for recruitment of additional organizations in the "partnership with residents" program (formerly the adopt-a-block program).
• A major COPC/TSP/HOPE collaboration during the National "Make A Difference Day" on October 24^th, 2000.
• Possible acquisition of The Lincoln Colored Home for Children as part of the implementation of the neighborhood plan.

HOUSING

• Solidification and expansion of TSP's Home Ownership Program for Equity (HOPE) including purchase and rehabilitation of its first properties.Also, HOPE has continued with COPC assistance to work on collaboration with Lincoln Land Community College to provide prospective buyers with home maintenance training.
• A collaborative relationship with the Springfield Department of Community Relations and the local HUD office to establish the Housing Alliance of Springfield -network of organizations who are providing training for first-time homebuyers.
• Receipt of a grant from a local foundation to continue work on code enforcement including the documentation of violations and the city's follow-up.Discussions with city officials also led to the passage of nuisance legislation by the Springfield City Council that has as its goal the reduction of problem properties throughout the community.

MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

• Distribution of the Micro enterprise brochure and recruitment for residents to sign up for the training program.
• Completion of an education program for either prospective or existing small business owners.
• Continuing solicitation of contributions to a COPC/LLCC micro enterprise loan program.
• Continuing work on a collaborative relationship with LLCC on establishment of a micro enterprise incubator.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING/EMPOWERMENT

• Establishment of a neighborhood association that will allow residents greater access to resources and potential ownership and control within their neighborhood.

EDUCATION

• Assisting the UIS Public Service Committee in their efforts to sponsor a daylong convocation on "Re-visiting the Public Affairs Mission".

OVERVIEW

 This report summarizes activities during the Year Two of the University of Illinois at Springfield Community Outreach Partnership Center (UIS/COPC) from January 2000 to December 31, 2000.  The last six months of this year were marked by a major demand upon the time of the COPC members to respond to the resignation of the Administrator of The Springfield Project (TSP) The primary community partner within the COPC.   COPC Director, Larry Golden and staff member Denise Rothenbach were involved in the development of search and personnel documents as well as providing assistance in the maintenance of TSP until a new director was hired At the same time, this period has seen important growth in the influence of COPC within the university.  For example:

• Michael Quam, Professor of Sociology/Anthropology and Public Health assumed important leadership roles in the two initiatives regarding trash and refuse and code enforcement.  UIS has given him released time from his teaching for these duties.
• Dyanne Ferk, Associate Professor of Management has continued to play an important role in the trash and refuse initiative.  She was granted tenure in May 2000.
• Peter Boltuc, Assistant Professor of Philosophy was granted released time from teaching in order to help coordination of COPC initiatives, with particular emphasis on Neighborhood Enhancement and Micro enterprise.
• Richard Judd, Professor of Business Administration has assumed a leadership role in the Micro enterprise Initiative.
• Sandra Mills, Assistant Professor of Social Work has continued her role as the coordinator for UIS work in the TSP neighborhood.  She has been able to work with Academic Professionals from other offices on the campus to accomplish these goals. Professor Mills has regularly included a service-learning component in her social work classes and her students continue to be actively involved in our Neighborhood Revitalization program.
• Numerous students have been placed in either research or other support roles within COPC or TSP.  During spring and Fall Semesters, 2000, COPC had the services of Willie (Pete) Reeves as a graduate assistant.  Reeves returned to school in January to complete his Master's degree before going into a PhD. Program at a larger university.
• COPC also had the services of graduate student Paulette Harris, a Whitney Young Fellow, to help on many of our initiatives.  Another student, Angelique Little, joined us in Fall 2000.
• COPC continued to provide support for faculty, students, and others associated with our efforts to attend meetings on the regional and national scene.

At the center of the COPC grant is support for the work of The Springfield Project.  COPC and TSP often work as one unit.  In all instances we work very closely together.  The work of COPC was recognized in the nomination of three of its collaborative efforts for HUD Best Practices awards for 2000.  The Springfield Project was nominated for its overall neighborhood revitalization program and was awarded a "local best practices winner.”  TSP's Home Ownership Program for Equity was nominated for its rehab work within a neighborhood enhancement program and was awarded a "local and regional best practices winner.”  And the Housing Alliance of Springfield was nominated and was awarded a "local best practices winner" See the enclosed attachment.

Major accomplishments have been achieved during this first formative period.

The following is a summary of activity during the past year according to the major categories of the COPC Grant.

1) Neighborhood Revitalization

The COPC working with The Springfield Project (TSP) proposes to conduct various activities to help revitalize a 27-block[sic: 21-block] area... The COPC proposes to develop a model that can be replicated in other neighborhoods throughout our blighted areas of Springfield.  The model involves an intensive focus on a concentrated geographical area to build neighborhood solidarity, leadership, and empowerment through consolidation of a variety of community resources with resident direction and control.

a) Development of a Neighborhood Plan.

COPC...will work with TSP, local residents, businesses, neighborhood organizations, and others to develop a comprehensive plan for revitalization of the 27-block area located within census tracks 15 and 17...

A major COPC goal was to find the expertise to work with the residents of the TSP neighborhood to assist in the development of a visual plan for the area.  It became clear that we did not have the expertise within UIS to fulfill this goal.  At the same time, we had developed a relationship with our colleagues at our sister campus, the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (UIUC), and the UIUC East Saint Louis Action Research Project (ESLARP) due to the national COPC organization.  Professor Ken Reardon had served as an important resource to us as we attempted to build the COPC effort within UIS.  He had visited our campus to give talks to faculty and administrators about COPC and the importance of getting faculty involved in such efforts.

Given their experience in East St. Louis, we approached our colleagues at UIUC in fall, 1999 to see if we could work together on a planning effort.  During the first six months of the year 2000 this collaborative relationship between the School of Planning and Architecture allowed us to achieve our goal.  The Provost at UIS agreed to provide some support in the effort.  Between the resources of UIS and the COPC, we provided the necessary funding for the time of a graduate student, Janni Sorensen, travel and other expenses for students to come from Champaign to Springfield, and additional funding for staff.

Between January and May under the supervision of UIUC Professor, Brian Orland, and with the assistance of the Ms. Sorensen, approximately 6 students regularly traveled to Springfield, gathered information on the neighborhood, met with the residents and develop ideas for a plan.

At the end of the semester, those ideas were presented in visual form to residents.  The presentation included a design for a neighborhood center, some suggestions for traffic calming within the neighborhood, and some designs for streets and sidewalks and alleys to integrate the neighborhood.  These developments were occurring at the same time as the founding of a neighborhood association that will "govern" the affairs of the neighborhood.  Those ideas are available as a framework for ongoing change and improvement of the neighborhood.  The goal now is for the neighborhood association to examine and prioritize these ideas and to find ways for implementation.

A report of the work of the UIUC students has been placed on the ESLARP website–http://www.eslarp.uiuc.edu/la/LA338-S00/groups/p/

A copy is provided with this report.

Consistent with the grant goals, we are now entering a period of planning and implementation.  Professor Peter Boltuc has been asked to work with residents and TSP Executive Director, Timothy Rowles to find ways to implement the most important elements of the neighborhood plan.  Those discussions will be ongoing; we expect to report on the progress in that regard in our final report at the end of this year.

One major piece of the implementation might be the purchase and renovation of a historically land marked building with in the neighborhood, The Lincoln Colored Home for Children.  A task force, including COPC Director Larry Golden, is working with the local chapter of the NAACP to explore this possibility.

 b) "Adopt a Block" activities

The COPC will support neighborhood enhancement activities currently being undertaken by neighborhood residents under the auspices of The Springfield Project.  The COPC will help develop and promote an "adopt-a-block" concept that involves finding sponsors to assume responsibility for working with residents to assess needs and provides resources for such efforts as cleaning up and maintaining on an ongoing basis specific blocks in the 21block area.  In addition, UIS and other COPC partners will formally "adopt one or more blocks on an organizational basis.

Developing partnerships in The Partner with Residents program is a vital component in the TSP strategy for neighborhood revitalization.  It allows us to build a bridge between various socio-economic and religious groupings while bringing resources to a neglected neighborhood within our community.  While the number of partnering organizations remained constant this year with Cherry Hills Baptist Church anchoring the program along with the University of Illinois at Springfield, Lincoln Land Community College, First Presbyterian Church, Little Flower Church, and Westminster Presbyterian Church -the program was able to expand into some new areas of the neighborhood.  The level of activity increased to a crescendo on Make A Difference Day in October.

As indicated in our previous report, The "adopt A Block" program was renamed partners with Residents. This is reflected in a video that has been finished that is being used to recruit new partners to work in the neighborhood (see enclosure).  The new TSP Executive Director is in the process of organizing partners so that the entire 21-block area can be covered within the next 12 months.

 c)  Neighborhood Revitalization: Garbage and Refuse Removal

COPC, working in partnership with TSP, neighborhood residents, and others will seek to reduce or eliminate three problems that threaten the health and well-being of residents in the 21 block area, as well as residents in the other target census tracks - fly dumping, abandoned property/items left by residents/landlords, and the ineffective disposal of household waste and garbage…  In the long term, the goal will be to establish a public initiative to eliminate fly dumping throughout the area and to assist the City and haulers in the resolution of garbage and refuse problems.

A COPC/TSP team started working on this issue early in spring, 1999.  Members included COPC Director Larry Golden, Professor Dyanne Ferk, Professor William Warren and his GIS assistant Bill Knorr, Director of the UIS Television Office Jo Warfield and her staff member David Antoine, TSP Administrator Cheryl Briggs, COPC staff person, Denise Rothenbach, and community member Bill Clutter.  Some members of that group joined with TSP's initiative team to develop a community strategy to confront the problems of trash and refuse.  Professor Michael Quam agreed to coordinate that effort on behalf of COPC.

During 1999 with COPC support the UIS television office produced an educational video to portray the garbage and refuse problems within the community.

Also during 1999 UIS researchers, led by professor William Warren began collecting data from the garbage haulers and inputting it into a GIS system.  That resulted in a report on trash collection, which showed, when adjusted for qualifications, that approximately 15% of the single and two family residences within the City have no trash collection.  This study was released in its final form in June 2000 at the beginning of a debate within the City Council to raise the rates that trash haulers charge for trash pickup.

The release of the study clearly impacted the proposal for a rate increase.  The waste haulers responded by informing us that upon examination of their data, they had not provided us with full information.  The two largest haulers indicated that in one case there were files that had inadvertently not been included, or in the second case that they were a new company last year and that when they updated their computer system, they realized there were numerous addresses that had not been included in the information given to COPC.  Their contention was that, upon comparing information they had, there were no more than 5% of the households without trash service.

With COPC participation, TSP's initiative team was able to play a major role in shaping the debate over the rate increase and the eventual conclusion.  The team developed a very important statement that outline the goals and priorities for change in the trash and refuse collection system.  While those changes were not adopted with the rate increase, the City Council established a task force that includes a TSP team member with the mandate to within six months bring to the Council recommendations for change in the trash collection system.  COPC is offering its support for research as this Council task force proceeds.  Copies of documents from TSP's team and relevant articles from the newspapers are included in the appendices of this report.

That task force has been meeting regularly through fall 2000.  In October, the Task Force held a public forum.  COPC and TSP along with input from the landlord association and other neighborhood associations helped develop statements to focus the debate on the issues of most importance to the residents.

It expects to issue a report to the full Springfield City Council in early February.  COPC faculty will be examining the report and making recommendations to TSP about its acceptability.

In addition to the work at the City level, TSP has been utilizing UIS students to help residents police their neighborhoods for code violators and to keep empty lots from becoming dumping grounds for trash and refuse.  The regular cleanups in the neighborhood have also allowed the residents to limit the buildup of trash.

2) Housing

a) Housing Code Enforcement

...providing assistance in monitoring administrative hearings and following up one specific cases, reformulating in code form newly proposed recommendations for amending the existing Springfield housing code, and developing educational materials that help both the public and policymakers understand the nature of the problems posed by the existing housing code.

Student interns continue to attend administrative housing hearings and monitoring the complaints.  An intern also documented violations in TSP neighborhood and assisted residents in filing complaints and following up on individual cases.

Partly as a result of the work of TSP, the City is reexamining the Code to provide ways to respond to "nuisance" property.  The City's Office of Legal Counsel is hiring an additional attorney to take default judgments to court.  And a TSP/COPC committee is considering ways to place the issues of dilapidated housing more squarely on the public agenda.  A grant request was submitted and approved by a local foundation to provide leadership in the changing of the housing and environmental code.

During the past six months this initiative has stalled pending the selection of a new TSP Executive Director.  The initiative was renewed with the hiring of Timothy Rowles as the Executive Director and the recruitment of new students who will not only continue to monitor hearings, but will also synthesize all material gathered to this point with regard to this effort.

The focus of the work of the Television office in 1999 was on the video regarding trash problems; in 2000 the Television Office completed a video on Partners with Residents; discussion will begin with the new TSP Executive Director about whether to produce a third video on code enforcement this year.

b) Home Ownership

COPC is proposing to work with TSP and community residents to identify individuals in the community who have unfavorable, unenforceable, or poorly drafted CFD (Contract For Deed) arrangements; match them with volunteer attorneys who will provide them with legal advice and assist in renegotiating CFD ; develop a pool of attorneys who will initiate legal proceedings on their behalf should that be necessary; prepare a model CFD that is written in understandable language by the residents; conduct workshops for community residents to educate them about CFD arrangements; assist potential home buyers in their attempt to obtain conventional/alternative financing and, if that fails, to assist them in buying homes by CFD; develop a pool of carpenters, electricians, and plumbers who will conduct non-certified inspections for potential home buyers; explore the benefits and costs of requiring by law that CFDs be recorded with the county.

Substantial work had been accomplished regarding the use of contract-for-deed including the development of a model contract and assistance to individuals with regard to their contracts. A major shift occurred in this area when the attention moved away from a focus strictly on Contract For Deed to helping renters move towards home ownership.It was realized that people who reside in the houses own only 28% of the properties in the neighborhood area (see enclosed map of neighborhood area).The other 72% include vacant properties and lots, rental property etc.While Contract For Deed is clearly one problem that needs to be addressed, it was deemed higher priority to focus attention on increasing the number of residents who can move from rental to home ownership.

With the assistance of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, a new not-for-profit corporation was established in 1999 to work in conjunction with TSP's organization.  Called TSP's Home Ownership Program for Equity (HOPE), it provides for the purchase and rehabilitation of vacant houses in the neighborhood to assist residents who are presently renting and unable to obtain conventional financing to move to home ownership.  Where necessary, such residents will obtain financing through a Contract For Deed arrangement with HOPE.

Hope purchased its first home last fall and completed rehab in May.  Three new homes are presently being purchased with more to follow.   A family was approved for purchase of the first home through contract-for-deed and moved into the house during fall 2000.  More families are being recruited to be part of the program of moving from rental to home ownership

One part of the HOPE process will be a requirement that homeowners who are buying homes through the program participate in an educational and mentoring system for new homebuyers.  COPC participated in an effort to put together a model education/mentoring process.  That includes a partnership with.

Lincoln Land Community College to hold workshops on home maintenance.  From the time the program began, LLCC and HOPE with COPC assistance have held regular workshop - first in the fall, 1999 and throughout the calendar year 2000.

In addition to the training and home maintenance workshops, there are plans to develop a mentoring process that will assist residents throughout the purchase of the property.  We anticipate that COPC may be able to play a significant role in the identification of resources for this purpose.

A grant has recently been received by HOPE from the Federal Home Loan Bank in Indianapolis.  That grant will help "draw down" the cost of the first 5 houses for new homebuyers.  HOPE also applied for and received CHDO status from the City of Springfield.  The city also has preliminarily approved financing for a number of houses to be purchased and renovated during 2001.

COPC staff are in the process of discussing what resource assistance would be most valuable for us to provide during this last period of the grant.  We will be reporting on that in our final grant report.

3) Microenterprise Development

... COPC will... engage in technical assistance and outreach Microenterprise activities... hat benefit the residents of the nine census tracks... by providing educational and technical assistance, as well as access to capital, to interested persons from the target community.  Individuals seeking to set up small businesses may need training in financial, human resource and sales management and in marketing techniques...

a.  A COPC Micro enterprise Initiative which will result in the establishment of a model microenterprise program in the target areas has continued to develop; money has been committed from two Springfield area banks and the local CRA Council.  The first recipients of assistance for the Program have completed an education program run by the LLCC Small Business Development Center

COPC assisted in publicizing the existence of the micro enterprise program.  A mailing of 11,654 brochures occurred to recruit applicants for the fall 2000 round of micro enterprise workshops.  That mailing produced a significant response with workshops presently continuing to train prospective micro enterprise clients.

This program is continuing to develop.  As trainees complete the training program, we look forward to providing some financial assistance they need to assist them to set up and go forward with their businesses.

While the minimal goals of setting up a program have been, the challenge now is to bring this to a new step of institutionalization. This calls for a mentoring program to be established and an ongoing way of publicizing the availability of the program and the successes it achieves.  These are included in the goal for the third year of the grant period, Professor Peter Boltuc has been playing a significant leadership role in this effort.

 b.  COPC Director Larry Golden was asked to serve on the site selection committee for a  LLCC "Learning Center" to be built within the HUD impacted areas that COPC is working in.  Discussions are ongoing within that committee about the establishment of a micro enterprise incubator in the new LLCC facility.    While we will be able to continue and maybe expand upon our relationship with LLCC, it appears less likely there will be an incubator linked with this facility.

c.   As of the time of writing this report, TSP and COPC are exploring a new initiative that would result in a local bank donating to TSP a significant business property within our neighborhood.  One idea is to have available within that business opportunities for residents to sell products and develop business training.

4) Education

a) Serve as a Clearinghouse for Dissemination of Information Locally and Regionally.

COPC... will cooperatively administer a clearinghouse for dissemination with the targeted community... information about COPC activities, future plans, opportunities, and the availability of resources for use by interested persons…

 As indicated in past reports, a webpage has been developed for the COPC.  We are now working with a student who is  finalizing the website for COPC, while also developing websites for TSP and HOPE.  Our goal is to have all three operational  by the end of spring, 2001.

 We continue to receive inquiries about our COPC, particularly from prospective COPC institutions.  We have provided assistance to them by phone and fax and particularly through providing them copies of the UIS proposal and semi-annual and annual reports.

The Springfield Project and COPC have established a neighborhood office.  That office now houses both TSP and TSP's HOPE.  COPC continues to use the facility as necessary for meetings and research.  Sister Norma Somers, O.P. whose time is donated by the Dominican Sisters, staffs the office for TSP, along with student interns from UIS.  Hope also has an executive director as well as a staff member working in the office.  Because of the space needs the organizations will be looking for additional office space in the near future.  In the interim, COPC provides assistance to The Project office in the neighborhood by paying for the telecommunications operation of the office and occasionally paying a fee for use of the facility for large meetings.

 b) Exchange of Information with Other Centers

The COPC will provide information to the University Partnership Clearinghouse and exchange information with other COPC centers and interested parties.

 The UIS COPC is providing regular reports to HUD as required or requested.  Most importantly, UIS has established an important working relationship with faculty from the other two campuses at the Great Cities Initiative at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and the East St. Louis Action Research Project (ESLARP) at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign (UIUC).

 COPC continues to provide support to faculty and students to participate in activities where they can make contributions and/or develop their knowledge of university community partnerships.  Among the outreach activities this past year are:

oCOPC Director Larry Golden made a presentation on challenges to smaller universities to engage in community partnerships at the national LINKS conference.

oGolden and Professor Peter Boltuc represented COPC at a conference at the University of Illinois at Chicago, "Engaged Universities: Moving Beyond the Vision".

oGolden and Graduate Assistant Pete Reeves represented COPC at the national Neighborhoods USA conference in May.  They also helped to facilitate the attendance of staff from Springfield's Department of Community Relations, TSP staff member Cheryl Briggs, and a member of Springfield's City Council at that conference.

oCOPC supported the attendance of TSP's Community Council chair, Dr. John Charlton along with Sister Mary Stone to attend a HUD supported conference at the University of Illinois at Chicago on the link between community revitalization and the communities of faith.

oBoltuc participated in the HUD review of New Directions Grant in July.  And Boltuc and Golden attended the one-day HUD conference  in July.

oCOPC Director Larry Golden attended the Annual HUD Best Practices meeting in Washington, DC in August, 2000 to receive an award on behalf of the Springfield project as a "local award winner.”  Leroy Smith represented TSP's HOPE to receive a "regional award.”  Golden also received a HUD local best practices award for the housing coalition started and now maintained by the city of Springfield's Community Relations department.

oCOPC Director Larry Golden and Professor Peter Boltuc attended the National COPC Conference in Providence in September.

oCOPC Director Larry Golden, Professor of Math Mary Patton and Director of Continuing Education, Carole Kennerly attended a service learning conference at DePaul University in Chicago.

5) Community Organizing/Empowerment

 a) Community Advisory Board

The COPC will set up a Community Advisory Board... and} constitute functional area advisory committees to help provide direction in two areas - Home Ownership Enhancement and Microenterprise Development.

As indicated in previous reports there were problems constituting a separate Community Advisory Board from that of The Springfield Project and HOPE Boards of Directors plus TSP Neighborhood Enhancement Team, composed of neighborhood residents.  It has become apparent that it is best to work through those entities regarding priorities and resources of the grant.  Systematic discussions are presently occurring to solicit input and participation of those groups in the COPC process.

Functional area advisory committees continue to support of a number of COPC activities:

The Microenterprise Team includes:

Richard Judd, UIS Professor of

Larry Golden, UIS Professor of Political Studies and Legal Studies

Director, UIS/COPC and President, The Springfield Project

Frieda Schreck, LLCC Director, Small Business Development Center

Peter Boltuc, UIS Professor of Philosophy

Jane Lear, HUD Community Builder

Timothy Rowles, Executive Director of The Springfield Project

Denise Rothenbach, UIS/COPC Administrative Clerk

The Trash and Refuse Team includes:

Dyanne Ferk, UIS Professor of Management

Larry Golden, UIS Professor of Political Studies and Legal Studies

Director, UIS/COPC and President, The Springfield Project

William Warren, UIS Professor of Environmental Studies

Timothy Rowles, Executive Director, The Springfield Project

William Clutter, Community member

Warren Stiska, Springfield Landlords Association

Deborah Cimarossa, Sangamon County Board Member

Marilyn Piland, Executive Director, Enos Park NeighborhoodImprovement Association

Fletcher Farrar, Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association

Denise Rothenbach, UIS/COPC Administrative Clerk

 The Code Enforcement Initiative Team includes:

Guerry Suggs,  TSP Board Member; retired Senior Vice-President for Mercantile Bank

Larry Golden, UIS Professor of Political Studies and Legal Studies

Director, UIS/COPC and President, The Springfield Project

Merrill McDaniels, TSP Board Member

Timothy Rowles, Executive Director, The Springfield Project

Kathy Saltmarsh, attorney, Office of the Illinois State Appellate Defender

Marilyn Piland, Executive Director, Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association

In addition to these Teams, the COPC regularly reports its work to the Community Council and the Board of Directors of The Springfield Project.  The Community Council provides a monthly open forum for residents of the City at large to participate and become informed of TSP activities.  TSP Board of Directors, which includes private resource people and residents, oversees the work of TSP and its various committees and is the "steward" of the organization's resources.  All of these groups have input and review of COPC activities.

 b) Neighborhood Improvement Structure

Objective:Foster lasting change in the targeted community by helping residents establish an ongoing structure to enhance their own assets, remedy their own problems, acquire new skills, and continue to pursue neighborhood revitalization activities.

 A major accomplishment began during the past six months when a neighborhood association was formally constituted.  The community police officer, Donald Ewing was elected president and a new community participant was elected secretary, while two members of TSP's neighborhood enhancement team were elected vice-president and treasurer.  The formation of the organization is an important step in providing the residents and organizational vehicle to obtain vital resources from the City and others and to take control of their neighborhood.

The Neighborhood Association is continuing to develop.  Recent discussions with the new TSP Executive Director have resulted in a likely merger of TSP's Neighborhood Enhancement activities within the neighborhood association.

Finally, COPC staff and students have been assisting the UIS Public Service Committee in their effort to sponsor a daylong convocation on "Revisiting the Public Affairs Mission" Included in that conversation will be discussion of the COPC as well as the different ways COPC incorporates the work of members of the campus.  Noted COPC participant Ira Harkavy and OUP Director Barbara Holland have tentatively accepted invitations to participate.  The work of the COPC continues to be the Campus's primary focus on Public Service.  In the most recent appeal for funding by UIS a brochure was sent highlighting the work of the COPC and extolling the campus's partnership with TSP. (see copy)