The Loop School of Leadership Studies Kansas State UniversityIssue 10, Fall 2009

Mary Hale TolarDirector, School of Leadership Studies What does it mean to be “in the loop?” It means you have access to information, but more importantly it indicates a connection – a sense of belonging to a larger group – nurtured by communication and shared purpose. The School of Leadership Studies is a learning community of students, faculty, staff and colleagues across the campus and community engaged in the study and practice of leadership. Inside this edition, you will hear from students who have committed time and energy to exercising leadership,

who have demonstrated the capacity and willingness to lead as they enter the next stage of their professional and civic lives. This is at the heart of our work. If we expect new generations to lead us through our diverse and changing world, we understand that we must commit to opportunities for their intentional leadership development. That is what K-State has done – that is what our faculty does – and that is what continues to appeal to students – currently over 1300 enrolled in our courses this fall. We invite you to join us in our mission: developing knowledgeable,

ethical, caring, inclusive leaders for a diverse and changing world. Welcome – and many thanks for being in the loop!

WELCOME TO THE NEW LOOP Now delivered online and more frequently to keep us all better connected

the loop contents Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Building uPdate asante touring ComPany international serviCe teams

intro to leadershiP Classes sls amBassadors volunteer Center

Faculty & Staff, Fall 2009

Want to be part of SLS History?

Look for an opportunity early in the new year to give and be recognized for support of our new building! Plans for how donors will be recognized in the new building will be sent out electronically to alumni and donors in January. Stay tuned!

EditorBridget Howland

Campus and Community ConnectionsIntroduction to Leadership Concepts classes participate in community service food drive and hear from President Schulz

Mike FinneganInstructor, School of Leadership Studies The large lecture sections of Introduction to Leadership Concepts welcomed two new team members to assist with the instruction of approximately seven hundred first semester freshmen. Trish Gott, former K-State Admissions Representative, co-taught seven sections with Mike Finnegan. Candi Hironaka took the lead role in organizing and training the class leaders. One of the class’s first activities was participating in the Cat’s for Cans community service program. As a whole, the classes collected over 10,000 lbs. of canned food

goods for the Flint Hills Breadbasket. Justine Wallis’s small group collected over seven hundred lbs. leading the charge. Larry Mitchell, freshman in political science, was one of the hundreds of students involved in the Cats for Cans community service project. Mitchell approached Hy-Vee, where he has been employed since June, to see if they would beinterested in helping out with the project. Hy-Vee said yes and donated 500 paper bags to Cats for Cans to be used for collecting canned goods from the community. They also provided a booth

for them to use to accept donations from shoppers at the store. On October 29, the Introduction to Leadership Concepts classes had the opportunity

to attend a lecture given by President Kirk Schultz. The President discussed his sixteen keyprinciples of leadership to a packed house in the Union’s Forum Hall.

BUILDING UPDATE

During the month of October, the new School of Leadership Studies building was host to over 250 students and faculty. “Opus has gone above and beyond our expectations in allowing our architectural engineering and construction science students an opportunity to get up close and personal with the first LEED-certified building on campus under construction,” commented Ray Yunk P.E., Architectural Engineering and Construction Science.

Save the Date!

Building Dedication Friday, April 16, 2010 The new School of Leadership Studies Building on October 22

Back:MarisaHowell,MeganKirtland,PresidentSchulz,ChloeSalman,JefferyNorris,TannerRohrer.Front:TaylorSchmidt,KelsiDean,ErikaWilliams,HeatherStos.

Asante Touring Company Performance“MLK in a Hip Hop World” inspires students during Cultural Harmony Week

Emily Salzman Nonprofit Focus Leadership Studies Student

Last January, students from American Humanics Student Association (AHSA) attended the American Humanics Management/Leadership Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana. At the conference the students had the pleasure of seeing Asante Touring Company (ATC), a subsidiary of the Asante Children’s Theatre of Indianapolis, IN and absolutely loved the performance. They were

so impressed by what they saw in Indianapolis and wanted to bring the performance to Kansas State so more could share in the experience. Arrangements were made and grants were received to bring ATC to Kansas State during Community Cultural Harmony Week. ATC performed their show “MLK in a Hip Hop World” which is part of the progressive hip hop movement and was conceived and directed by

Deborah Asante, Founder and Artistic Director of Asante Children’s Theatre. The raps, poems, songs and beats were written and performed by Cleo House, David Orr, Vincent Jordan and Jocque Carey. All of the performers have been involved with Asante Children’s Theatre and are members of the ATC. The performance took place in the Union Grand Ballroom and had an attendance of around 445 students, faculty, and community members. The performers did an incredible job of educating and entertaining the audience. There was a great response from the students such as Chris Lund, a freshman in engineering who said, “The men of the Asante Touring Company truly found an effective

way to educate young people about an important historical figure in a way that they can relate to. I honestly walked away from that performance knowing more about Dr. King than I had ever learned through any class.”

The School of Leadership Studies Ambassadors have taken on several new projects this year. The latest and biggest of these was the Homecoming float and SLS t-shirts. Ambassadors wanted to find a way to unite all of the students of the minor in spirit of the new building. The SLS shirts, whose sales contributed to the Flint Hills Breadbasket, have been increasing in popularity, partly because of the students’ personal interactions with the Breadbasket in the Intro course. The shirts will be sold again in the near future, with proceeds going to another service organization. Our first-ever Homecoming float was a hit, and took first place in the Student Organization float contest. Ambassadors and outstanding volunteers from the minor represented us well in the parade, singing the fight song and their own Leadership Studies chant! We hope to make this an annual tradition for years to come. Ambassadors are anticipating an exciting spring semester promoting the beautiful new building. With selections now completed, Ambassadors will soon welcome a large group of new members who will double our current number!

School of Leadership Studies AmbassadorsJessica GradertPresident, School of Leadership Studies Ambassadors

ATC & Deborah Asante

A Tradition of Global ServiceINTERNATIONAL SERVICE TEAMS Trisha GottInstructor, School of Leaderhip Studies

This past summer the K-State International Service Teams continued a twenty year tradition of sending student teams to developing communities around the world to serve. Summer 2009 was exciting for the program as students returned to sites in Puebla, Mexico and Gaborone, Botswana. Additionally, 2009 began the establishment of a new site in Nyeri, Kenya.

In continuing relationships with Puebla, the program sent two teams of students, one working primarily in the local school system and the other working with surrounding rural communities. In Botswana, students continued work at Old Naledi Education Centre and the Tlamelo feeding project. New to 2009 was a dynamic site in

Nyeri, Kenya. As a new site, students embraced the opportunity to establish new projects and build relationships in Kenya. Four K-State students lived and worked at the Children and Youth Empowerment Centre, a home for street children and other vulnerable youth. The Centre teaches students life skills and educates youth using a self-sustainable model of development. The team was able to develop projects that involved teaching classes during the day and creating after-school clubs for the students. These clubs consisted of reading, choir, nature, art, and indoor and outdoor games. In 2010, International Service Teams are extremely excited to return to all 2009 sites and

to welcome back a site in Jacunda, Brazil. At this site, students will have the opportunity to work with the PRAY orphanage in Jacunda. Projects will include lessons with the children, extra-curricular clubs, support at the local clinic, as well as determining needs of the local community.

Making a DifferenceThe K-State Volunteer Center of ManhattanLeAnn MeyerProgram Coordinator, K-State Volunteer Center of Manhattan The school year began with a volunteering boom, as the K-State Volunteer Center of Manhattan asked volunteers to “fall into service” and participate in the 2009 Community Service Week. Nearly 300 KSU students donated their time and efforts to achieve 700 hours of service in the Manhattan community. Following the holiday season, the volunteer center will be inviting students and community members to “Make it a day on. Not a day off,” on January 18, 2010. It will be a day of service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”

New Faculty and Staff Trisha Gott, Instructor Tanner Banion, Kansas Campus Dorothy Smith, Executive Assistant Compact Program Associate Paula Phelps, Administrative Assistant Maura Mills, Graduate Research Sara Weber, AmeriCorps VISTA Assistant Angela Deckard, AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader

CommunityServiceWeek2009

DeAnna Coughlin with students in Kenya

Jamie Schendt in Kenya