CONWAY, Ark. (November 7, 2016) – Hendrix College graduate Sean Alexander ’16 recently published Hope
in the Hills How Local Communities Can Feed Hungry Children in the Rural Ozarks
of Arkansas through the Arkansas Policy Program (APP).
Alexander is currently a
Marshall Scholar pursuing a master’s degree in food security and development at the University of Reading and a master’s degree in comparative social policy at Oxford University.
His APP report identifies causes of childhood hunger in the Arkansas Ozarks and offers strategies to stabilize Ozark communities’ participation in food security programs.
Through APP, students and faculty provide nonpartisan, original analyses on key public policy issues in Arkansas through a new undergraduate think tank. APP was developed by Hendrix politics professor Dr. Jay Barth with the support of the Bill and Connie Bowen Odyssey
Professorship, and builds upon Barth’s ongoing public policy and public opinion research and advocacy work related to Arkansas.
To receive a free PDF file of the latest report or to learn more about APP, email
barth@hendrix.edu, or view the report here.
For the report, Alexander worked with the
Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, a nonprofit with the mission to reduce hunger and improve access to nutritious food through a unified effort to provide sustainable hunger relief programs, education and advocacy throughout Arkansas.
“I first met Sean when he served as a Youth Ambassador for the No Kid Hungry campaign. “Sean, who already had a strong sense of community, a love of the family farm and its centrality to many Arkansas communities, and a strong interest in health-focused progressive public policy, was a natural
fit,” Patty Barker, No Kid Hungry Campaign Director for Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. “With a unique ability to see the possible in seemingly impossible situations, Sean has again set us on a path to success to support a community of people who have found a way to celebrate their independence yet embrace a
federal nutrition program that will help their children grow and thrive.”
Barker is the daughter of Bill and Connie Bowen, who supported the Odyssey Professorship that helped to develop the Arkansas Policy Program.
“I am so pleased that my parents’ long-time support of Hendrix College has culminated in the creation of this unique education program. The APP not only exposes students to important political, legislative and governance issues impacting Arkansas today, but also gives a
well-deserved platform to Dr. Jay Barth to share his great knowledge of Arkansas’s political history and his wise counsel on current education, economic, health and environmental policy,” said Barker. “I am delighted to see Bill and Connie Bowen Odyssey Professor on the signature line of each email I
receive from my good friend Jay Barth. I have had the honor and pleasure to work with Jay on a variety programs and policy initiatives over the past several years, most focused on how to improve education opportunities for all Arkansas students, and I can’t imagine a better thought leader to head the
Arkansas Policy Program. He is a fabulous teacher, historian, civic leader and statesman. Hendrix and Arkansas are lucky to have him!”
About
Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1876 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884, Hendrix is featured in Colleges
That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges and is nationally recognized in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings for academic quality, community, innovation, and value. For more information, visit
www.hendrix.edu.