The Michigan State University Judicial Administration Program requires students to apply what they learned in the Judicial Administration Certificate Program to a challenge, opportunity, problem, or trend. The goal of the capstone project is for students to put into practice what they learned through their courses. It allows students to demonstrate their passion, knowledge, and skill in service to a greater good. In other words, the capstone project allows students to act on their values, speak their truth, and make a difference in the world.
Through the partnership with NCBC, the certificate program courses are offered at every conference in a sequence that allows students to complete the program within five years of starting—or sooner if they want to supplement their NCBC courses with the online MSU options. Each year Barry Lander, as the NCBC/MSU liaison, works with the NCBC education committee and the conference hosts to insure that students have the best learning experience possible, so that they are prepared to complete their capstone projects.
The question is: What did the MSU students do—what issues or topics did they tackle for their capstone projects? How did they improve the profession, the judicial branch, or their courts? Perhaps, the more important question is: What can you learn from the MSU Judicial Administration Graduates? A review of past capstone projects demonstrate that the students had broad interests. Those interests resulted in the projects listed below by category heading.
Human Resources Management and On-Boarding New Employees
· Where Do I Belong? Finding Your Place in the Federal Bankruptcy Court by Heather Burse
Succession Planning and Enhancing Employee Performance
· Succession Management and Judicial Training by Tracey Couling
· Succession Planning: A Road Map to Measuring Success by Sabrina Palacio-Garcia
Professional Development and Court Improvement through Education, Training, and Mentoring
· Cross-Training Challenges: Seasoned Model vs. Newer Model by Eileen Garrity
· New Employee Orientation Program for the Illinois Central Bankruptcy Court Clerk’s Office by Ronald Hayward
· Development and Automation of Individual Training and Development Plans by Kathy Noel
· Training Programs as They Relate to the United States Bankruptcy Court and the Private Sector by Laurie Maldonado
· Pre-Employment Education and Development of Paralegal Students by Teresa McBee
· Staff Training Program: Implementing Cross Training into Courtroom Services by Monette Warren
· The Effectiveness of E-Learning: The Evidence of Change by La-Tia Sanders
· CM/ECF Attorney and Staff Training: From In-Person to On-Line by Lynn Baldwin Bergmeyer
· The Impact of Positive Power on Employee Performance by Velda Coleman
· Mentoring within the Federal Courts by April Elderkin
· Knowledge and Learning Management in the Judiciary (FCLP Final Paper) by Dailin Pena
Budgets and the Impact on Due Process, Service, Staffing, and Morale
· Budgetary Effects on Morale and Motivation by Maggie Bondi
· Managing the Workload: Surviving in an Era of Decreased Staffing by Heather Mize
· Effect of Staff Reduction and Efficiency by Amy Stewart
· Balancing Due Process with the Budget by Gull Weaver
· Shared Administrative Services: A Balance Between Courts by Kathleen Chamberlin
The Future and the Courts
· Bridging the Gap to a Better Tomorrow by Laura Brundage
· The Court’s Mission Statement: A Vision into the Future by Stephanie Armstrong
· Differences and Similarities between Millennials and Other Generations and How to Keep Millennials Engaged in the Workforce by Kristen Batty
· Small Courts of the Future: Examining Problems Facing Courts Today by Cheryl Rapp
Improving Services for Internal and External Customers
· Help Desk Service Center (HDSC) by April Colling
· Pro Se Filers and Help Desk Assistance Project by Casenia Stripling
· Pro Se Handout by Megan Moore
· How Social Media and Mobile Technology Can Enhance Court Customer Service by Susan Thurston
· “How May I Help You?” A Study of the Relationship between Federal Court Employees and the Public by Shawna Dahl
· Measuring the Effectiveness of Communication between the Bankruptcy Court and the Trustee’s Office (FCLP Final Paper) by Holly Kelley
· Improving Internal Customer Service (FCLP Final Paper) by Katherine Schneider
Improving Courts through Technology
· On-Line Completion Form: Putting Your Mission Statement to Work by Haley Poindexter
· Delivering Justice with No Boundaries: Utilizing Telework in the United States Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California by Jan Zari
· Connect IT with Operations “Bridging the Gap” by Kathy Bernart
· Conversion from WordPerfect to Word in the District of Idaho by Jackie Hildebrand
CM/ECF
· CM/ECF Automatic Closing Report by Brenda Heminger
· CM/ECF Testing Procedures (Judicial Administration Conversion Project) by Rhonda Hylton
Mediation
· The Development and Implementation of a Mediation Plan by Tracy Bowers
Courtrooms
· Courtroom Use Study by Crystal Lightfoot
· Court Size—Does it Make a Difference? by Roberta Yorkey
Organizational Assessment
· Assessing the Progress of My Court by Paul Dickson
Communication
· Communication is Key by Pat Reed
Problem Identification and Project Management
· Project Management: Back to the Basics for Project Success by Jackie Enderle
· Filing Deficiencies and Overdue Installment Payments: The Fast Track to Show Cause by Anita Pribula
The capstone projects are categorized here by their major themes but each paper addresses multiple aspects of court operations or professional development. Therefore, each project demonstrates the richness that is evoked through the court community. Contact the students who did the work that resulted in the capstone projects. They will tell you, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of their respective careers.
For more information about the MSU Judicial Administration Program go to
http://cj.msu.edu/programs/judicial-administration or Google Judicial Administration @ Michigan State.
Through the partnership with NCBC, the certificate program courses are offered at every conference in a sequence that allows students to complete the program within five years of starting—or sooner if they want to supplement their NCBC courses with the online MSU options. Each year Barry Lander, as the NCBC/MSU liaison, works with the NCBC education committee and the conference hosts to insure that students have the best learning experience possible, so that they are prepared to complete their capstone projects.
The question is: What did the MSU students do—what issues or topics did they tackle for their capstone projects? How did they improve the profession, the judicial branch, or their courts? Perhaps, the more important question is: What can you learn from the MSU Judicial Administration Graduates? A review of past capstone projects demonstrate that the students had broad interests. Those interests resulted in the projects listed below by category heading.
Human Resources Management and On-Boarding New Employees
· Where Do I Belong? Finding Your Place in the Federal Bankruptcy Court by Heather Burse
Succession Planning and Enhancing Employee Performance
· Succession Management and Judicial Training by Tracey Couling
· Succession Planning: A Road Map to Measuring Success by Sabrina Palacio-Garcia
Professional Development and Court Improvement through Education, Training, and Mentoring
· Cross-Training Challenges: Seasoned Model vs. Newer Model by Eileen Garrity
· New Employee Orientation Program for the Illinois Central Bankruptcy Court Clerk’s Office by Ronald Hayward
· Development and Automation of Individual Training and Development Plans by Kathy Noel
· Training Programs as They Relate to the United States Bankruptcy Court and the Private Sector by Laurie Maldonado
· Pre-Employment Education and Development of Paralegal Students by Teresa McBee
· Staff Training Program: Implementing Cross Training into Courtroom Services by Monette Warren
· The Effectiveness of E-Learning: The Evidence of Change by La-Tia Sanders
· CM/ECF Attorney and Staff Training: From In-Person to On-Line by Lynn Baldwin Bergmeyer
· The Impact of Positive Power on Employee Performance by Velda Coleman
· Mentoring within the Federal Courts by April Elderkin
· Knowledge and Learning Management in the Judiciary (FCLP Final Paper) by Dailin Pena
Budgets and the Impact on Due Process, Service, Staffing, and Morale
· Budgetary Effects on Morale and Motivation by Maggie Bondi
· Managing the Workload: Surviving in an Era of Decreased Staffing by Heather Mize
· Effect of Staff Reduction and Efficiency by Amy Stewart
· Balancing Due Process with the Budget by Gull Weaver
· Shared Administrative Services: A Balance Between Courts by Kathleen Chamberlin
The Future and the Courts
· Bridging the Gap to a Better Tomorrow by Laura Brundage
· The Court’s Mission Statement: A Vision into the Future by Stephanie Armstrong
· Differences and Similarities between Millennials and Other Generations and How to Keep Millennials Engaged in the Workforce by Kristen Batty
· Small Courts of the Future: Examining Problems Facing Courts Today by Cheryl Rapp
Improving Services for Internal and External Customers
· Help Desk Service Center (HDSC) by April Colling
· Pro Se Filers and Help Desk Assistance Project by Casenia Stripling
· Pro Se Handout by Megan Moore
· How Social Media and Mobile Technology Can Enhance Court Customer Service by Susan Thurston
· “How May I Help You?” A Study of the Relationship between Federal Court Employees and the Public by Shawna Dahl
· Measuring the Effectiveness of Communication between the Bankruptcy Court and the Trustee’s Office (FCLP Final Paper) by Holly Kelley
· Improving Internal Customer Service (FCLP Final Paper) by Katherine Schneider
Improving Courts through Technology
· On-Line Completion Form: Putting Your Mission Statement to Work by Haley Poindexter
· Delivering Justice with No Boundaries: Utilizing Telework in the United States Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California by Jan Zari
· Connect IT with Operations “Bridging the Gap” by Kathy Bernart
· Conversion from WordPerfect to Word in the District of Idaho by Jackie Hildebrand
CM/ECF
· CM/ECF Automatic Closing Report by Brenda Heminger
· CM/ECF Testing Procedures (Judicial Administration Conversion Project) by Rhonda Hylton
Mediation
· The Development and Implementation of a Mediation Plan by Tracy Bowers
Courtrooms
· Courtroom Use Study by Crystal Lightfoot
· Court Size—Does it Make a Difference? by Roberta Yorkey
Organizational Assessment
· Assessing the Progress of My Court by Paul Dickson
Communication
· Communication is Key by Pat Reed
Problem Identification and Project Management
· Project Management: Back to the Basics for Project Success by Jackie Enderle
· Filing Deficiencies and Overdue Installment Payments: The Fast Track to Show Cause by Anita Pribula
The capstone projects are categorized here by their major themes but each paper addresses multiple aspects of court operations or professional development. Therefore, each project demonstrates the richness that is evoked through the court community. Contact the students who did the work that resulted in the capstone projects. They will tell you, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of their respective careers.
For more information about the MSU Judicial Administration Program go to
http://cj.msu.edu/programs/judicial-administration or Google Judicial Administration @ Michigan State.