Goodwill Industries and UIndy establish new partnership

Research Fellowship to advance community efforts to support local schools

The University of Indianapolis and Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana are pleased to announce a new partnership to facilitate community-based educational initiatives that can have a positive and direct impact on local K-12 students and teachers.

With generous support from the Walton Family Foundation, these two organizations have established the Goodwill Research Fellowship to support graduate students who wish to pursue community-based research. The partnership will leverage Goodwill’s existing connections and programs in local public schools aimed at helping educators and staff in their work with students with disabilities and those receiving special education services.

“Goodwill and the University of Indianapolis are two organizations that share a mission and vision focused on supporting education as a way to break cycles of poverty,” said Dr. David Wantz, executive vice president and provost at the University.

This new fellowship will be responsible for supporting community-based research efforts focused on breaking the cycle of poverty at Goodwill Education Initiatives beginning in 2017. This graduate-level fellowship will focus efforts on implementation, management, execution and evaluation of various educational, research and clinical projects conducted under the auspices of the partnership between Goodwill Education Initiatives and the University of Indianapolis.

Dr. Azure D.S. Angelov, senior director, Goodwill Education Initiatives, and affiliated associate professor at the University of Indianapolis, will lead this partnership and oversee the work of the research fellow(s). Her objectives specific to Goodwill include providing solutions to increase schools’ capacity to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities and those receiving special education services.

“We feel Dr. Angelov will be a tremendous resource for our organization and the individuals we serve. We know her work will provide real-world solutions and best practices for our schools and schools around the country,” said Betsy Delgado, vice president, Mission and Education Initiatives, Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana.

Successful fellows will serve as collaborators who can work effectively with faculty, staff, administrators and external contacts to build and maintain successful teams and partnerships. “We will be drawing from a selection of talented and committed grad students who have experience in education, research, nonprofit, or community-based human services,” stated Dr. Angelov. “The objective will be for the new partnership to serve a need that currently exists, one that will benefit from Goodwill’s access and connections and from the resources, energy and creative thinking that our graduate students and our university can provide.”

Fellowship support will be available as tuition and/or a monthly stipend. Full-time and part-time graduate students in both campus-based or online programs are encouraged to contact the Admissions Office at the University of Indianapolis to apply.