Capstone Service Learning Project (CSLP) 2006
by Matt Thompson and Erik DeVriendt, ILA Graduate Assistants

ATHENS, Ga. -- Scholars in the University of Georgia's Institute for Leadership Advancement (ILA) are learning that "Leadership is not just about you, it's about giving back to others," said Chris Cornwell, Director of the ILA's Leonard Leadership Scholars Program, a unit of UGA's Terry College of Business. "We hope that our students will leave here recognizing that the world is not just about for-profit businesses or about becoming a CEO as quickly as you can, but about being a contributing member of a community."

Modeled on service learning, the capstone project presents real-world opportunities for scholars: to understand that as a leader there is an expectation for lifelong service leadership, to experience firsthand the leadership concepts of contributing to the community and giving back to others, to integrate program learning, and to learn more about individual and team leadership capability.

The 30 scholars are placed on five-member teams, which are assigned to six clients. The teams are instructed to think of themselves as a consulting company. They create team contracts, hold client meetings, create a document of understanding related to the expectations, needs and deliverables for the project, manage a budget, and execute the project. The nonprofit agencies and a description of the service projects completed this year follows:

• American Heart Association, Athens - The AHA designed a three-on-three basketball tournament to raise funds and awareness for the agency. The scholars worked with local Athens businesses and campus organizations to stimulate awareness and generate underwriting for the campus event.

• Athens Regional Medical Center, Athens - This project focused on creating a Web site and supporting documents on women's health issues and services provided by ARMC. It coincides with the launch of a new ARMC Web presence.
• Brookstone School, Columbus - The Brookstone team partnered with the faculty, students, administration, parents, and local community members to develop a curriculum for service-learning that spans the K-12 years. Brookstone, in turn, worked with Fox Elementary to providing meaningful interactions between both schools' students. The hope is that this program will provide these students with "a heart for service."
• Central High School, Macon - Scholars developed a plan for the diverse student body, drawn mainly from Macon's inner city, to cross-pollinate social cliques through the creation and implementation of several community service projects that Central students will complete. The team also developed a one-day leadership training experience that focuses on preparing students for life after high school.
• Classic City Performance Learning Center, Athens - This project involved the construction, opening, marketing, and training of a student staff for a Jittery Joe's Coffee Shop at CCPLC, an alternative high school. The Jittery Joe's will serve as ongoing training for CCPLC students and fundraising for the school.
• Gilmer High School, Ellijay - The Gilmer High team designed and delivered the capstone event for the school's Leadership Summit Series. This series is a year-long program designed to encourage and equip students to be leaders at school, at home, and in the community. The scholars delivered a day of leadership training that focused on helping students recognize the value within each person and the role of the leader to unlock and amplify that value. Scholars served as keynote speakers for the Leadership Summit's fall program and accompanied the school on its annual trip to the State Capitol.

Now in its fourth year, the ILA's Capstone Service Learning Project continues to be a vibrant and vital portion of the Leonard Leadership Scholars Program, Cornwell said. "The CSLP has had a major impact on not just the organizations served, but on the students as well," she said. "This project is consistently ranked as one of the top experiences in the scholars program. It is encouraging to know that tomorrow's leaders are excited and committed to making a difference in their communities."

Applications for the scholars program are annually accepted from Dec. 1 through Jan. 31. For more information about the Institute for Leadership Advancement, go to www.terry.uga.edu/leadership or contact Tracie Sanchez, Scholars Program Coordinator, at (706) 542-7297 or tsanchez@terry.uga.edu.