Field Service at the Clinton School

Field service promotes the Clinton School vision by emphasizing the "practice" of public service by placing students in challenging environments in which they work with community leaders to help build healthy, engaged and vibrant communities, both in Arkansas and around the world.

The Master of Public Service (MPS) degree program requires students to complete three courses where they engage in field projects:

The Practicum (group) Project takes student teams into Arkansas communities, including the impoverished Mississippi River Delta, to foster community development and social change in areas such as economic development, environmental awareness, public education, youth leadership development and health improvement.

The International Public Service Project places students with organizations all over the world combating global hunger, fostering educational opportunities for children, promoting corporate responsibility and expanding healthcare in the third world.

The Capstone (final) Project is the culminating field service project, challenging students to put their learned skills into action and complete an in-depth public service project to benefit a government or nonprofit agency and ultimately lead the student into a career upon graduation.

Click here for a timeline of the field service projects during the two-year MPS program.

Through these courses, students learn how to:

Design and implement a project using appropriate methods;
Analyze and apply relevant field research;
Collaborate with clients to identify, develop and mobilize resources to facilitate social change;
Apply professional values, principles and behaviors;
Reflect on and develop personal and team abilities to move social change forward;
Apply the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom;
Understand the complexities of facilitating social change; and,
Understand the leadership skills and insights required to achieve sustainable social change.

The three field projects concentrate on systemic social issues that are substantive and challenging. They are immersive experiences with public service issues where students exercise discretion in decision-making that extends beyond the mere execution of routine tasks. Through these projects students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills at non-profits, government agencies, businesses, foundations, coalitions and other types of organizations working on public service issues. Students have the opportunity to accomplish projects such as:

Developing and implementing an action plan to tackle a problem and evaluate the impact;
Facilitating public discussions on social issues;
Conducting a needs assessment to study a problem and then develop and implement appropriate solutions;
Building or strengthening partnerships, coalitions and teams;
Designing and conducting surveys, interviews and focus groups to collect information about a problem and recommend solutions;
Mobilizing people to take action on social issues;
Researching best practices; and,
Engaging marginalized populations.

If you have any questions regarding field service at the Clinton School, please contact us at (501) 683-5200 or fieldservice@clintonschool.uasys.edu.