The July issue (volume 10, number 2) of the e-Journal of Public Affairs is  available online. As always, there is no charge. 

This issue, with its theme of “Building Community Ownership to Change Everything​,” features many authors with strong local Springfield ties. 

• The introductory essay to this issue was written by Greg Burris, President and CEO of United Way of the Ozarks, who formerly has worked both for the City of Springfield and Missouri State University.
• Dr. Amy Blansit of the Department of Kinesiology at Missouri State University, reports on her research and work into “Income Predicts Federal Poverty Guideline, but Food Security Is the Mediator.”
• Dr. Bradley J. Fisher from MSU’s Department of Psychology and Gerontology, and Dr. Gloria Galanes, retired Dean of the Reynolds College of Arts and Letters at Missouri State University, explore how “Give 5 Gives Back: Assessment of a New Civic Matchmaking Program for Older Adults.” 
• Christina L. Ryder from the Sociology Department and GO LEAD program at Missouri State University, summarizes “Community-Based Participatory Research in Springfield, Missouri: Lessons Learned.”
• President of Missouri State University Clifton M. Smart, III, along with MSU colleagues Ryan DeBoef, Allen D. Kunkel, and H. Wes Pratt, look at “The Importance of Missouri State University to Springfield.” 
• Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe, the founder, CEO, and President of the Student African American Brotherhood, now headquartered in Springfield, notes that “We Invest in What We Care About.” 
• Cora Scott, the Director of Public Information and Civic Engagement for the City of Springfield, emphasizes “Coming Together While Standing Apart: Encouraging Community Ownership During the Isolating Days of the Pandemic.” 

All this and much more thought-provoking reading is available in the e-Journal of Public Affairs, edited by Andy Lokie, a member of the Library Science Faculty at Missouri State University.