Non-Profit Leadership

Understanding the Non-Profit Sector is designed for individuals interested leading more effectively from middle and top-level positions within organizations in the non-profit sector. Since many individuals who are currently in top-level positions in non-profit organization are currently or will be retirement eligible, this creates a significant need for an intentional focus on developing the knowledge and skills to lead more effectively. This course is designed to enhance or learn your ability to lead more effectively in a sector providing the most critical part of our society - our social safety net.  This course uses readings from professional in the field; peer learning; and participating in out-of-classroom experiential opportunities to expand your knowledge and increase your effectiveness when leading.

This course will enhance student understanding of the importance of serving the people who have a connection to and are in turn affected by institutions.  Effective leadership and attributes of integrity, trustworthiness and authenticity will be examined in light of course readings.  Values-based leadership will be explored as students will develop their moral compass in life and leadership.  Students will begin to clarify their own understanding of servant leadership, and their own actions and practices as servant leaders.  All of this is grounded in knowledge (literature), reflection and inquiry (discussion board), and practices (papers and dialogue).  Students will emerge with a better understanding of themselves as servant leaders and better able to influence organizations through their own practices of servant leadership.

In this course students will examine the history of leadership theory to understand its development and to explore the future of leadership study. Additionally, students will also explore the nature and charactership of leadership addressing the key question, What is leadership? This course utilizes an interdisciplinary approach in its survey of leadership issues, incorporating historical, political, literary, scientific, sociologically, and theological prospectives.

This course addresses how leaders can effectively utilize creative strategies through and examination of factors that contribute to successful executive leadership practice across a variety of organizational settings.  Exploration of the origins of leadership, challenges that contemporary leaders face, the impact of leadership, relationship building, and innovative strategies for overcoming barriers. Emphasis is placed on leadership knowledge, approach and application. 

Social Entrepreneurship is an intense introduction and immersion into the development and implementation of social entrepreneur enterprises. We will introduce students into the development of managing and expanding social entrepreneurial projects/enterprises.

This course invites students to explore the mindset of creativity and innovation with the application of creativity and innovation into the organizational and the entrepreneurial process. We will explore a variety of ways for students to increase their creativity and innovation in their professional roles. We will study companies which are creative and innovative and we will study companies who failed to be innovative and creative.

This 5 week program is designed to create personal change, evolve self-knowledge and expand your world-view. Expect change to occur in how you lead and how you work, not matter what your business. This educational and experiential course will provide a peer to peer learning cohort; deliver practical tools to use every day; and explore transformational change plus evolutionary change through self-knowledge.