Business Students Volunteer for Non-Profit Organizations
The "Service Leadership Certificate Program" at St. Louis University integrates Jesuit education with the fundamentals of leadership
By Beth Wohlert

     "Learning Leadership through Service." This motto has 71 students at Saint Louis University in Missouri volunteering for inner city non-profit organizations. In 1995, the School of Business and Administration established the "Service Leadership Certificate Program" to develop leaders who demonstrate competence, conscience, compassion, and commitment to community by integrating the strong traditions of Jesuit education with the fundamentals of leadership.
     This nationally recognized program packages academics, service, and leadership training into a certificate program, offered only to business school students. The mission is to "bridge Ignatian philosophy with academic learning and personal experience, to take forth a new vision of true leadership learned and demonstrated through service to others." To receive a certificate, the students not only complete 300 hours of service work, but also are required to attend six annual leadership workshops, and fulfill an academic component through their normal business degree requirements.
     At the core of the program is service to others. "I like helping other people because it makes them happy, so it makes me happy too," says Nhi Nguyen, a graduate of the program. The program’s most time intensive and most rewarding aspect is the 300 hours of volunteering with a non-profit organization that’s required to be completed by graduation. The service is hands-on experience comparable to the level of the student’s area of study. Therefore, if the student is an international business major they may work with an organization such as the St. Louis International Institute. Most volunteers start by doing basic tasks for the organization and as they progress with their major studies, their responsibilities grow. "One of the students, over the course of his service, went from providing basic in-take services to, at the end of his service, designing a web site and other MIS services for the organization," says Dr. Debra Faughn, service leadership program coordinator. "This was an invaluable experience for the student and the organization could not have afforded to purchase the services he provided."
     The students volunteer at organizations such as The St. Vincent DePaul Society, the Salvation Army, Food Outreach, Habitat for Humanity, Employment Connection, Room at the Inn, St. Patrick Center, and the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club. Many of the organizations have expressed much appreciation to the student leaders in this program. "Utilizing students from Saint Louis University allows us to broaden the scope of our services and programs since we have a larger volunteer base to draw from," says Michael E. Gray, Salvation Army’s director of volunteer services. "These young people enhance, not replace our staff. Without the Service Leadership Program at Saint Louis University, the Salvation Army couldn’t continue to meet the needs of so many in our community. We thank and appreciate the students (and their teachers) for this opportunity," he says.
     Students also complete 15 hours of coursework, in conjunction with their degree, that expands their understanding of how culture, gender, ethnicity, and socio-economics can impact the lives of those who may be vulnerable without social safety nets. Included in the academic component of the service-learning experience, students will develop a personal leadership portfolio that will formally document their various learning experiences. The academic requirements are interlaced into the core business requirements. The coursework is designed for students to reflect on their volunteering and expand their knowledge on different ethnic, gender, and social economic groups.
     Students combine their service with workshops on topics such as time management, situational leadership, servant leadership, conducting board meetings, and team leadership. Also, students meet one-on-one with the program coordinator to reflect on past experiences and plan ways to develop their skills and meet their needs as emerging leaders. The students are broken into three levels, and these levels denote a student’s experience regarding the program and workshops.
     Service Leadership has a very active Student Advisory Board and Program Advisory Board. The Program Advisory Board is comprised of a wide range of professionals from the academic world, as well as business and industry. "We’re looking at some innovative ways to make the program more organic and responsive to the needs of students, including developing ways to make our workshops more relevant to real world experiences," says Ellie Perry, Program Advisory Board member. "The program is experiencing record growth and I believe this is in direct response to the benefits the students see in the program."
     Building better leaders, better organizations, and better communities are the goals of the Service Leadership Certificate Program. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Service Leaders at Saint Louis University are "trendsetters" in every sense of the word when it comes to exemplary leadership in the community. "Initially, when I entered the program, the motto, ‘Leadership through Service" caught my attention, but I don’t think that I really understood what it meant," says Miko Hernandez, senior service leader. "I’m graduating soon, and now the motto is more then just a catchy phrase to me, but something I believe in."

Beth Wohlert is a senior at St. Louis University majoring in Management Information Systems. She’s been active in Service Leadership since her freshman year, and she also volunteers at Epworth Children & Family Services. After graduating in May, Wohlert will work full time for the Boeing Company. For more information about the Service Leadership Certificate Program, go to business.slu.edu/slp or call (314) 977-3609. Contact Wohlert at wohlerte@slu.edu.

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