• DVD: "You Should Run for Office"
• Mentoring Program
• Careers in Government

The Ohio Center for the Advancement of Women in Public Service has created a 30-minute DVD and accompanying curriculum to inspire Ohioans, especially women and members of minority groups, to run for the Ohio General Assembly. Through research funded by the United States Departments of Labor and Education, the Center identified term limits as an impediment to attracting qualified candidates to the state legislature. In an effort to recruit more candidates for the state legislature, the program explores issues related to running for public office, including the nuts and bolts of running a campaign and the rewards of public service. The program also features 15 current and former elected officials who discuss their careers, how they entered public service, and the challenges of political life.

• Watch the video (QuickTime video)
• Accompanying curriculum (PDF file)

The program is available as a stand-alone DVD or it can be accompanied by an educational curriculum for university students, and other interested parties, such as community groups, social organizations, and political groups. The program includes a discussion of the history of women and minorities in Ohio politics, an examination of electioneering issues pertinent to political science classes, and demonstrates the role of representative government as part of a democratic republic.

The Ohio Channel will begin airing the video on Sept. 5th, 1:30. Click here for the schedule page for the Ohio Channel.

For more information, or to obtain a copy of the DVD, contact k.a.gurney@csuohio.edu.

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The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs Visiting Committee created a mentoring program in 1998. This dedicated group of individuals wanted to participate directly with Levin College students and realized the most effective way to share their knowledge and experience was through a mentoring program. A mentor is defined as an experienced and trusted counselor or guide. It is the intention of the Levin College to offer graduating students the opportunity to apply and participate in a mentoring program that will enhance learning relevant to the world outside the college.

The Center’s mentoring program, run in collaboration with the Levin College Visiting Committee is open to both female and male graduate students and undergraduate students who are juniors or seniors. Each student is paired with a community professional who has real world experience in politics and governance, business, the public sector, or the nonprofit sector. These individuals are well established within the Greater Cleveland community as leaders and innovators and can provide students with a broader body of knowledge than the classroom experience allows. The Center sponsors an introductory dinner for students and mentors to meet, exchange interests, and plan goals and objectives for the upcoming year. Each student is required to participate actively in the mentoring experience.

The Program runs through the academic year providing the students with lengthier time to interact with the mentors. Students are interviewed and placed in early September and meet their mentors at an introduction dinner held at the College. Mentors who volunteered their time include leaders from the following organizations and companies: Offices of Senators DeWine and Voinovich, Office of Governor Taft, Office of Attorney General Petro, Center for Families and Children, Northeast District of Ohio EPA, Cleveland State University Board of Trustees, Ohio Department of Transportation, Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, SBC Ohio, Parmadale, Neale & Associates, Cuyahoga County Board of Health, Ohio City Near West Development Corporation, Housing and Urban Development, City of Cleveland, Positive Education Program, Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court, Benjamin Rose Institute and members of the Visiting Committee.

• Online mentoring application for students
• Online mentoring application for mentors
• Mentoring Program Guidebook (pdf)

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Twice a year, in conjunction with The Careers Services Center, the forum-style Careers in Government brings in a panel of professionals to discuss their career paths. Careers in Government is open to all current, former, and prospective university students as well as to the general public. Panelists are typically elected or appointed officials or executives from the nonprofit sector that give personal thoughts and reflections on the profession of public service and their reasons for choosing their career.

The Center, in its endeavor to recruit young people for jobs in the public sector, uses life stories to highlight the benefits and rewards that come with that choice. For example, in 2004, the Center invited the husband and wife teams of the Honorable Justice Alice M. Batchelder, United State Court of Appeals for the Sixth District, the Honorable Justice William G. Batchelder, Ohio Court of Appeals Ninth Appellate District, and the Honorable Emily Sweeney, retired United States Attorney, Northern District of Ohio and the Honorable Patrick Sweeney, Executive-in-Residence at the Levin College and former State Representative from Cleveland, to discuss political marriages. Additional speakers have included the Ohio Auditor, the former Executive Director of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, and the Vice President of the Cleveland Browns.
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