CONNECT Stories of Impact

LBJ student Muhammad Qasim worked with the City of Austin’s Office of Innovation to develop a Grant Funding Opportunity Evaluation tool through the CONNECT program last spring. The tool, which was released this week, can be used by potential grantees to assess whether a funding opportunity is the right fit for their organization. 

As she was completing her PhD in Special Education last fall, CONNECT fellow Zhina Shen worked alongside local nonprofit Joshua’s Stage to further develop their data collection methods and improve their ability to measure, track, and communicate the impact of their programs.

In spring 2023, RAISE Texas began working with CONNECT to examine the effect that medical debt has on Texans, especially those who are low-income and in communities of color. CONNECT fellow Ziyi Wang worked with RAISE Texas to further develop the data needed to propose model bills in the 2025 state legislative session addressing medical debt and healthcare barriers in the state.

CONNECT fellow Christopher Reyes, a graduate student at UT School of Public Health, worked alongside a team at Ascension Seton to expand and improve their Food is the Best Medicine program.

The summer 2023 CONNECT cohort kicked off this month with 16 projects, including eight organizations participating in CONNECT for the first time.

The RGK Center’s CONNECT program kicked off its spring cohort this January with 21 student-organization matches.

The CONNECT program kicked off the fall 2022 cohort last week with 20 organizations, 13 of which are brand new to the CONNECT program.

Geethu Jacob, PhD candidate in Aerospace Engineering, completed her second semester of working with CONNECT’s first for-profit partner organization, BB Imaging.

The summer CONNECT cohort has been announced, made up of 22 graduate student and organization matches. Students will develop consulting skills while helping organizations solve a data challenge throughout the summer.

McCombs student Grace Chiu shares her experience working with Young Invincibles through the CONNECT program.

On Thursday April 21st, graduate students, community members, UT faculty and staff, and other supporters attended the CONNECT Community Showcase event at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. For the first time since its beginning in 2019, participants in the CONNECT program gathered to learn about the impact current and former CONNECT fellow work has made on organizations that have a data challenge.

Alyssa Studer, Program Manager for the CONNECT program, received the Outstanding Staff Award from the President's Office. The award recognizes non-teaching UT Austin employees who have made outstanding contributions to the continuing success of the university. Alyssa received the award due to her outstanding service to the CONNECT program, which Alyssa has managed since its beginning in Spring 2019. 

The CONNECT program has announced the 18 organizations and 21 student fellows participating in the spring 2022 cohort.

The rainwaters in Dove Springs were rising, the clock ticking as flood water rose on residents' property– one, two, three inches. 

The program, called CONNECT, is a collaboration between the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin and the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. CONNECT began at the LBJ School in 2018. 

The CONNECT program algorithm significantly improves the efficiency of its matching process and helping build capacity within the program itself as it continues to expand.  

Pionero Philanthropy and graduate students with the CONNECT program worked together to help put these organizations on the map-- an interactive map used to bridge the gap between donors and information seekers, strengthen research in the sector, and help facilitate collaboration among nonprofits.  

Graduate students in the Policy Alliance for Communities of Color (PACC) at the LBJ School of Public Affairs led an initiative with CONNECT fellows to complete two data projects this summer around diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at the LBJ School.  

Austin Young Chamber has partnered with the RGK Center’s CONNECT program to release key findings from their COVID-19 survey for employees. Data from the survey highlights employees’ concerns about the pandemic and gives government and business entities a snapshot of who is most affected. 

As the spring semester comes to a close, 29 CONNECT graduate fellows from across campus wrap up their data and evaluation projects and prepare to present their work.