Leaders

Recent news headlines reveal a disturbing trend: a prevalence of irresponsible leadership. The examples are numerous: Enron. Self-focused athletes. Unethical politicians. Companies on the verge of bankruptcy. Terrorism.

It’s a troubled world. The lines that distinguish right and wrong are blurred. Unethical behavior is tolerated. Decisions are made that reward personal gain over the common good. Power is abused.

Alma College is proposing a solution: a renewed focus on the development of not just leaders, but responsible leaders.

Equipping each and every student with the knowledge, skills and commitment to be responsible leaders in their communities and workplaces are the goals of Alma’s new Center for Responsible Leadership, which will operate under the primary assumption that every Alma student has the potential to be a leader.

Funded in part by initial gifts and grants totaling more than $1 million, the Center will provide opportunities for all students – regardless of academic major or degree – to improve their leadership abilities.

“We know that our graduates face a world of increasingly difficult choices, complex relationships and rapidly changing issues,” says Alma College President Saundra Tracy. “The Center for Responsible Leadership will ensure that we instill in our students the skills, values, knowledge and personal discipline necessary to be responsible leaders in whatever role they assume after graduation.”

The Center builds on Alma’s existing emphasis on public service and civic engagement while also addressing the needs of today’s workplace.

“What better place than Alma to prepare responsible leaders?” says Tracy. “Our students are focused on a liberal arts education. They are smart and hard-working, though they often don’t realize the scope of their potential. We can help them understand how good they really are and use their skills and abilities to be responsible leaders.

“We are committed to preparing graduates who can lead change, have a sense of ethical purpose and commitment, and understand the long-term impact of decisions on the health and well being of organizations and communities. The goals of the Center perfectly mirror our mission of preparing graduates to serve, lead and be responsible stewards,” she says.

The Center, long in planning, began to take shape in earnest last summer and fall. It will encompass a large network of core leadership-development opportunities for Alma students, including guest speakers, book discussions, leaders-in-residence, academic courses with a leadership emphasis, student-led seminars, off-campus service trips, and faith-based experiences.

Upon graduation, students may apply for leadership certification based on a four-year record of participation in leadership events, community service and campus organizations.

“We’re not just teaching students how to be ‘in charge,’ but how to bring about positive change regardless of one’s position, title or academic background,” says Ed Lorenz, Reid-Knox Professor of History and professor of political science, and an interim co-director of the Center.

“More than making people smart, we want to focus on making future leaders wise – not merely doing what is necessary to succeed but what is necessary to do good, to be stewards of their inherited resources,” says Lorenz.

Leadership Fellows Program

In addition to the core programs available to all students, the Center will launch two new programs that focus on advanced leadership training.

Up to 50 Alma students will be accepted annually in a three-year Leadership Fellows Program through a competitive application process. Participants will attend annual summer institutes, including an international experience, that focuses on global leadership theories, personal skill development and confidence building. Participants, who can opt for a for-profit or non-profit emphasis, also will participate in monthly workshops on contemporary leadership issues and complete an internship with a mentoring experience.

Newly enrolled participants will attend their first institute this summer at Ghost Ranch, a Presbyterian-affiliated conference center in the mountains of New Mexico.

“The reason for going to Ghost Ranch is it will sever links to the conventional,” says Lorenz. “We want to make people think about life – and the high desert in a multicultural world near both 1,000-year-old pueblos and the center for atomic bomb making has to make any observer think. What is wise use of resources? What is permanent? What needs preservation? What needs to change?”

Another component of the Center targets a different audience: high school juniors. A five-day summer institute for up to 30 high school students will take place annually on the Alma campus. Participants will develop leadership capabilities through seminars, case studies and recreation.

“Our expectation is that students who participate in these programs will develop an advanced understanding of responsible leadership in its many forms,” says Ron Lemmon, interim co-director and assistant professor of business administration.

Gifts, grants to fund Center’s initiatives

Initial funding for the Center includes generous gifts from the Hayden Foundation and Antje and Paul Newhagen, and a $500,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc.

The Hayden Foundation gift provides support for the Center’s Business Leadership Fellows Program. Don Hayden is an Alma College trustee emeritus and board chair of Hayco Industries. He and his wife, Agnes, reside in Traverse City.

The gift from the Newhagens funds the Center for Responsible Leadership Speaker Series for three years. “In our time of accelerating globalization, it is essential that students are exposed to outstanding leaders who bring a global perspective to the issue of ethical, responsible leadership,” says Antje Newhagen, a 1967 graduate, an Alma College trustee and retired director of publications and communications with Altera Corp. They live in Los Altos Hills, California.

The Lilly Endowment grant will be used to support many of the Center’s core programs, including off-campus service trips, speakers, course development and faith-based experiences.

“Responsible leaders must have strong core ethical values and must choose to commit themselves and their organizations to serving the common good,” says Carol Gregg, interim co-director. “Many students at Alma find the source of their ethical values in their religious beliefs. The faith-based components of the Center for Responsible Leadership will support students of all religious traditions and faith backgrounds. For some students, this will include an exploration of leadership in faith-based organizations. For other students, faith conviction will undergird their leadership in secular organizations.”

The Lilly Endowment’s Theological Exploration of Vocation initiative provides grants to church-related liberal arts colleges and universities to support programs that encourage students, faculty and staff “to engage in theological reflection on the purposes and character of their lives and work.”

The College is seeking additional grants and gifts to fund the Center for Responsible Leadership, with a fund-raising goal of $11 million established. For more information, call Carol Hyble, vice president for advancement, at 1-800-291-1312.

— Mike Silverthorn

Terra’s Spring Term experience in China is a tremendous help understanding the relationship the U.S. has with one of its largest trading partners. The business administration major from Monroe has seen first hand the economic effects on southeast Michigan of low-cost imports and Chinese monetary policies.