Center for Servant Leadership Annual Report

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE ANNUAL REPORT 2012–13

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE

CENTER FOR SERVANT LEADERSHIP

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT I am excited to introduce the 2012–13 Annual Report of the Gustavus Adolphus College Center for Servant Leadership. All one has to do these days is read the national press to know that higher education, and in particular the viability and affordability of a liberal arts education, is being challenged in the marketplace.

Fortunately, the Gustavus Board of Trustees had the foresight to ask some strategic questions about how a Gustavus education made a difference in the lives of our students.

In 2010, the Board approved the College’s strategic plan, Commission Gustavus 150, which stressed the importance for colleges like Gustavus to reach out to students and deliver programs that enhance their learning in the classroom. Gustavus had already asked some of those challenging questions, and the work of Commission Gustavus 150 task forces made the challenges we faced crystal clear.

The College integrated four effective programs with the goal of transforming the way in which students engage in their learning, including activities that enhance the classroom experience. To maintain the momentum of Commission Gustavus 150, the Board established a plan to engage the College’s constituents in helping plan for the future. National Advisory Boards were formed, and one of the first was the one supporting the Center for Servant Leadership. The statement on the review of the programs of the Center for Servant Leadership on page three will offer you a clearer understanding of the depth of involvement of not only the faculty and staff but also the National Advisory Board chaired by Grayce Belvedere Young.

If you haven’t had an opportunity to touch or be touched by the Center, I encourage you to explore opportunities that will enable you to “get engaged.”

The future of liberal arts education is centered on the strength of a college or university’s academic programs and the quality of its faculty. In those categories, Gustavus rates an A+. Today, as mentioned before, we reach beyond the classroom, and the Center for Servant Leadership is enabling us to do so.

As I end my tenure at Gustavus as its 16th president, I am pleased and excited about the future of the College because of the strength of its academic programs, the quality of its faculty, and the innovation of its staff in building relationships with the community, congregations, organizations, alumni, and friends. I am excited about the education Gusties are receiving, both in and out of the classroom. I hope you will enjoy reading the 2012–13 Annual Report of the Center for Servant Leadership.

Jack R. Ohle President, Gustavus Adolphus College

The Center’s many programs and resources equip members of the Gustavus community to learn, live, and lead “from within” in ways that serve others and help to address the world’s deep needs. The Center invites students, faculty, staff, alumni, congregational and community partners, and friends of the College to discover their own ways to answer the Gustavus invitation to “Make Your Life Count.”

The CSL brought together four programs that existed separately for many years: Center for Vocational Reflection, Community Service Center, Office of Church Relations, and Career Center.

With the creation of the CSL, the College is making significant progress toward the implementation of more than 80 recommendations from the Commission Gustavus 150 strategic planning process.

“This is a significant step forward for Gustavus,” says President Jack R. Ohle. “This is going to be one of the most exciting and powerful signature programs to be established on our campus in some time.”

More than simply combining offices, the CSL deeply integrates four areas of emphasis: CommunityBased Service and Learning, Jeffrey Rathlef, director; Career Development, Cynthia Favre, director; Vocation and Integrative Learning, Dr. Chris Johnson, director; and Church Relations and Community Engagement, the Rev. Grady St. Dennis, director and chaplain. Jeff Stocco, former Career Center director and interim dean of students and vice president for student affairs from 2009 to 2011, has served as director of the CSL since June 2011. A National Advisory Board, chaired by Grayce Belvedere Young, shares their wisdom and expertise in support of the Center’s work.

The CSL has its home on the main level of the Johnson Student Union, adjacent to the Jackson Campus Center—a location that is easily accessible, highly visible, and at the heart of campus life.

The spaces formerly occupied by the old Career Center, Center for Vocational Reflection, and Linner Lounge were remodeled into a single, large “one-stop shop” for the new CSL. The new Center serves as a “campus living room” where people gather for great conversation about things that matter.

We invite you to join the conversation!

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ANNUAL REPORT 2012-13

We live in a culture that thirsts for meaning. People hunger for a sense of wholeness and purpose. We also live in what Sharon Daloz Parks calls a time of unprecedented peril and promise in our lives and communities, in this democracy, and on the planet. In response to the challenges and opportunities of these times, and in keeping with its longstanding mission to prepare students for fulfilling lives of leadership and service in society, Gustavus launched the Center for Servant Leadership (CSL) early in 2011.

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE

CENTER FOR SERVANT LEADERSHIP

The VISION OF THE CENTER FOR SERVANT LEADERSHIP is that: All with whom we are engaged Will explore who they are Why they are here, and How they are called to live To serve the common good

MISSION OF THE CENTER FOR SERVANT LEADERSHIP The Center for Servant Leadership collaborates with campus, community, and congregational partners to deliver programs that empower students to translate their talents, values, passions, and college experience into lasting contributions as servant leaders in lives of purpose and faith.

“SERVANT LEADERSHIP” DESCRIPTION The term Servant Leadership describes everyday decisions, actions, and attitudes that grow from a core commitment to bring out the best in others and empower them to make a positive difference.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS, 2012–13 Annual Report LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS • • • • •

Servant Leadership Program (SLP) Gusties in Ongoing Leadership Development (G.O.L.D.) M-PACT, men’s leadership initiative Women in Leadership, ongoing support and involvement Ongoing community service programs – 35 student coordinators, over 1,100 students

• • • • • • •

Student/Alumni Mentoring program – 84 mentor pairs Student/Alumni Networking events, with various alumni groups Alumni Career Transitions courses, with Alumni and Parent Engagement Vocation for Life workshops, with other ELCA colleges Courage to Teach workshops, for Gustavus education alumni Soul Sustenance for Young Changemakers New Internships and Career Explorations, connecting with alumni

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT • • • •

Community-Engaged Scholars Fellowship program (faculty) Academy for Community-Based Learning Development of Faculty Sponsor Guidelines for Internships Support and training for faculty on vocation

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

UNDERGRADUATE JOURNAL OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP • • • • •

“Changing the World,” Chris Johnson “Introduction to Servant Leadership,” Jeff Stocco and Larry Spears “South Africa: Examining Global Service,” David Newell Consulted on “Career Opportunities,” Beatrice Torres Consulted on “Allied Health Opportunities,” Bruce VanDuser

SPRING BREAK SERVICE-LEARNING PROGRAMS • Habitat for Humanity, three locations – 90+ students • Learning to Serve, Petatlán, Mexico – 3 faculty, 15 students

TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA • • • • •

Increased Twitter use; increased Facebook “likes,” added Pinterest Sessions on using LinkedIn Updated webpage Volunteer student wrote blog entries Interview Stream – 648 uses of online practice interview system

NEW PROGRAMS • • • • • • • •

Peer Career Advisors – 150 student appointments Student Health Professions Assistants Career Explorations for pre-dental students Gustavus Faith Conference (in conjunction with GACAC meeting) Language Buddies, partnering with Spanish Department Expanded Internship/Service Learning Fair G.A.M.E. Career Event, with Athletics Department and employers Fall Break Service-Learning Program, Virginia, MN

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ANNUAL REPORT 2012-13

JANUARY INTERIM COURSES, 2013

EVENTS • • • • • • • • •

Careers Possible Government Job Fair Nobel Luncheon Education Fair Internship and Service Learning Fair Health Professions Fair G.A.M.E. (with Athletics Department) Campus Interviewing MN Private Colleges Job and Internship Fair

PROGRAMS

• Career Counseling • Career Explorations (Interim Experience) • Internships • Year of Service Programs • Pre-Health Advising • Career Management - Student Job Search - Employer Relations • Alumni/Student Mentoring • Alumni Networking • Peer Career Advising • Grad School Advising

2012–13 GUSTIES WORKED HARD AT WORKING 1399

1035 950 846 790

648 150 148

129 98 84

Individual Counseling Appointments Students Attended 17 Career Events Resumes Reviewed Profiles on GustieJobs Student Profiles on LinkedIn (4518 Alums in Gustavus Alum Group) Interviews on Interview Stream Students and Alums at Spring Networking Event Students Attended MN Private Colleges Job and Internship Fair Internships for Credit Career Explorations for Credit Student/Alumni Mentoring Pairs

CAREER development provides information, opportunity, and support for students to gain clarity, confidence, and connections for careers and callings.

GUSTAVUS COMMUNITY CREATES NEW ATLANTA-BASED INTERNSHIP

“I could not have asked for a better experience in Atlanta,” Gaulrapp said after returning for spring semester. “This internship helped me grow as a person by gaining confidence and independence, and it grew my interest in public health.” She also established “life-long relationships” with several people whom she met and is excited about the internship’s potential. “I will remember this month for the rest of my life, and I look forward to what future students will experience with this internship.”

“The Gustavus community made Alyssa’s January Term internship happen,” said Vince Thomas, internship program director. The “community” included Gustavus alumnus Gordon Mansergh ’84, a senior behavioral scientist in the HIV/AIDS Prevention Division of the CDC; Gustavus alumna Kristen Unzicker ’00, director of leadership and community engaged learning at Emory University; Gustavus assistant professor of nursing and alumna Lynnea Myers ’05; Gustavus gift planner Jacqueline Brunsberg; and the Provost’s Office at Gustavus.

Gaulrapp’s experience was about more than just learning about public health and exploring a potential career. “Alyssa wasn’t just a public health career intern last month, she was a leader,” Thomas said.

“She blazed a trail for other Gustavus students to follow.” Although it took the vision, leadership, and teamwork of Gustavus alumni, faculty, and administrators to create Alyssa’s 2013 January Interim internship, Thomas is looking forward to next January. “My ‘Atlanta team,’” he said, “is already talking about it!”

To read this entire article and other articles, go to gustavus.edu/servantleadership/stories. __________________________________________________________________________________ To learn more about Career Development in the Center for Servant Leadership, visit gustavus.edu/ servantleadership/careercenter.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2012-13

consisting of two Gustavus alumni, several Gustavus administrators, and one Gustavus professor to create a new and alternative January Interim Experience public health internship opportunity in Atlanta at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE

“It takes a village to raise a child” is an oftenquoted African proverb. For Gustavus senior Alyssa Gaulrapp ’13, it took the leadership of a “village”

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • Servant Leadership Program (SLP) • G.O.L.D. Workshops • Alumni Mentoring Program • January Interim Course, Changing the World • Church Leadership Program • Individual Appointments on Vocational Exploration and Discernment • Off-Campus Retreats: Annual “Sabbath” Retreat, Men’s Halftime Leadership Retreat, SLP Retreat, and others • Year of Service Programs • Alumni Retreats and Workshops • Faculty/Staff and Student Book Discussions • Mentoring and Advising of Student Leadership Organizations

VOCATI0N focuses on your calling to live out your

distinctive gifts, passions, and senses of faith and meaning in ways that benefit the community and help to address the world’s deep needs.

In 2013–2014, the Alumni Mentoring Program will grow to about 175 pairs, including athletes and nursing majors. We are excited that more alumni have expressed interest in connecting with a student in a relationship that benefits both the student and the alum. The program’s mission is “to inspire career and vocational exploration for Gustavus students through a professional and personal relationship with a Gustavus alumnus.” By continuing to grow the program we can not only expand the networking and reflection opportunities for our students, but also strengthen a significant avenue for our alumni to engage with Gustavus and to explore their own callings in life.

To learn more about Gustavus Alumni Mentoring Program, go to gustavus.edu/servantleadership/stories. __________________________________________________________________________________

CHANGING THE WORLD “Who am I, what really matters, and how can I make a difference in the world?” Students in the January Interim course “Changing the World: Justice, Action, and the Meaning of Life” wrestle with “big questions” like these in ways that engage them as whole people— mind, body, and spirit. Known across campus as a powerful and transformational course, “Changing the World” invites students to think hard, listen deeply, feel passionately, and get their hands dirty—literally: this year they spent a day doing demolition work on a project with Urban Homeworks, a Twin Cities organization that works on issues of homelessness, poverty, and affordable housing.

To learn more about “Changing the World”, go to gustavus.edu/servantleadership/stories.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2012-13

During the 2012–2013 academic year, the Center for Servant Leadership Alumni Mentoring Program hit another high point. The number of students and alumni from the Department of Economics & Management engaged in a mentoring relationship rose dramatically from the previous year’s total of 39 mentoring pairs to 84 pairs this year. Gustavus alums are excited to be able to give back in a way that enriches the experiences of current students and connects them in a meaningful way to their alma mater. The program was revamped as well to include more formalized contact and deliberate connection to the College through the Center for Servant Leadership.

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE

ALUMNI MENTORING PROGRAM

COMMUNITY

• 1018 Students, 16,100 Hours in Ongoing Service Programs • Adult Outreach • Youth Development • Tutoring • Health • Special Interest • 2012 National Higher Education Honor Roll for Community Service • 17 Gustavus students from Nursing, Spanish, Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies, Psychological Science, and Education traveled to Petatlán, México (St. Peter’s Sister City) for the Annual Service-Learning Program, “Learning To Serve”

CLASSROOM

• 760 Students in Course-Related Community-Based Learning • Faculty Fellowships in Community-Based Learning • Academy for Community-Based Learning, “Service-Learning and Beyond: Preparing for the Scholarship of Engagement” • Minnesota Campus Compact’s Presidents’ Awards for Civic Engagement • 25 Students, 2013 January Term course, “Exploring Global Service”, South Africa

SERVICE focuses on building the necessary skills and

capacities to manifest one’s desire to serve and to lead in the personal, community, and global realms.

“I ended up tearing my ACL in the first 15 minutes of basketball tryouts during my freshman year, so I decided to get involved in other things at Gustavus,” Matuseski said. “The environment at Gustavus is such that meeting people and getting involved in clubs and activities is really effortless.”

Throughout his four years, he was extremely involved with the Community Service Center, now known as the Center for Servant Leadership (CSL). While there, he started as a work-study student and became the volunteer and program coordinator as an upperclassman. He participated in the Big Partner, Little Partner Program, went on Habitat for Humanity spring break service trips, and became the program coordinator for the Trips and Activities Group (TAG), an after-school program for St. Peter youth that supplies healthy lifestyle education, character development, and a positive living environment.

“Dave [Newell in the CSL] was the person who really empowered me to get so involved in the CSL and guided me along the way,” Matuseski says. “The staff, coordinators, and volunteers in the CSL gave me another sense of purpose at Gustavus aside from my academic studies. I learned a lot about program development, strategic planning, reflection, and other life skills from Dave.”

Currently, Matuseski is teaching sixth-grade English and life science at a private bilingual international school in Barranquilla, Colombia. He credits the faculty in the Education Department at Gustavus for helping him get to where he is today, including Professor Deb Pitton and now retired Professor John Clementson.

To read the entire article, go to gustavus.edu/servantleadership/stories. __________________________________________________________________________________ To learn more about service in the Center for Servant Leadership, visit gustavus.edu/ servantleadership/communityservice.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2012-13

One of the advantages of attending a residential liberal arts college like Gustavus is the fact that when one door closes, another door opens. Just ask recent alumnus Kevin Matuseski ’10. He came to Gustavus in 2006 with the intention of making basketball a large part of his four-year college experience. When that dream faded, the Rosemount, Minn., native discovered a new path and now has a bright future in education ahead of him.

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE

AN EDUCATOR WITH A PASSION FOR SERVICE

EVENTS

• Clergy Family Reception • Volunteer Leadership Day • Vocation of a Lutheran College Conference • Seminary and Divinity School Day • Homelessness Awareness SleepOut • Vocational Reflection Events • Student Leadership Day • Gustavus Faith Conference • GACAC Annual Business Meeting

PROGRAMS

• Pastor-to-Pastor • Exploring Religious Questions • Gustavus Youth Outreach • Partners in Education • Partners in Music • Youth and Adult Retreats

ASSOCIATION OF CONGREGATIONS

• 544 Member Congregations in 27 Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

OUTREACH nurtures growth of on- and off-campus

relationships and invites mutual engagement of Gustavus with its many community partners.

In relational ministry, few experiences compare to that of a retreat. The concept of retreat is not a new thing but actually an ancient spiritual practice, one that Jesus himself modeled for us. We live in a time of busy schedules and many distractions. The hectic life can take a toll not only on one’s sense of peace and direction but also upon our communal relationships and sense of purpose.

With wonderful overnight retreat accommodations, the inspiring Christ Chapel, and a spacious 125-acre Linnaeus Arboretum, Gustavus Adolphus College is a popular spiritual retreat destination for the member congregations of the Gustavus Association of Congregations. The Center for Servant Leadership annually hosts between 1,600 and 2,000 youth and 800–1,000 adults for day and overnight retreats at Gustavus.

“It adds a sweet dynamic to the campus life when the dining hall is full of a variety of people all sharing in the Gustavus space and experience together. You get a sense of being a part of a great family sometimes during meal times and shared worship moments on campus with groups retreating.” -Retreat participant To read more about our retreat programming go to gustavus.edu/servantleadership/churchrelations.

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE

YOUTH AND ADULT RETREATS

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GUSTAVUS PLAYS KEY ROLE IN CLERGY WELLNESS RESOURCE In partnership with the Southwestern Minnesota and Southeastern Minnesota synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Gustavus offers the Pastor-to-Pastor program, a clergy support network created by pastors to care for body, mind, and spirit of fellow pastors.

Pastors meet monthly in colleague teams which consist of 4–6 pastors and gather together with all colleague teams three times each year at Gustavus for a 24-hour overnight time for worship, education, fellowship, support, and renewal.

“Pastor-to-Pastor is about pastors who are connected for a couple of reasons: first, it’s a way to be intentional about caring for one’s self so they can offer better care for their congregations. Another reason we connect is for education,” says pastor participant Scott Jackel. “We have so many different speakers; it is a great opportunity to learn more about ministry.”

“I wanted to be surrounded by support. I have found the colleague group to be a real joy for me: pushing us to be learning, to have ministry excellence, to support one another, and to prayerfully lift each other up,” says program coordinator pastor Kristi Mitchell.

To read more about the Pastor 2 Pastor program go to gustavus.edu/servantleadership/churchrelations.

ANNUAL REPORT 2012-13

__________________________________________________________________________________

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• G.O.L.D. statistics - 80 Participants each semester - 3 Tracks: Self-Leadership, Servant Leadership, and Exemplary Leadership • SLP Partners Conducted Research with the St. Peter Civility Task Force • Conducted over 80 interviews with local residents • Question: “What Would It Take for St. Peter to Be a Truly Welcoming and Civil Community?”

• Submitted a Final Report to the Task Force, recommending future action.

• Research submitted to the Berks Institute at Penn State for publication in their Undergraduate Community Based Research Journal.

• SLP Apprentices Contributed More than 320 Hours of Service • Engaged fellow students in leadership conversations • Encouraged fellow students to engage in leadership activities and organizations across campus.

LEADERSHIP development at Gustavus encourages the

discovery of one’s gifts and talents, the desire to serve others, and the knowledge and skills required when called to lead.

“According to Jeffrey Arnett, an emerging adult is of college age, and this period of life is characterized by five main features: identity exploration, instability, being self-focused, feeling in-between, and feeling that there are many possibilities. The idea of an ‘emerging adult’ is fairly new. A variety of social factors have contributed to this shift, but it is primarily because people are choosing to get married and have kids later in life than previous generations, as well as spending more time pursuing higher education. College now becomes a time when we have fewer responsibilities, can be whoever we want, and can explore as many possibilities as we want.

“Something I believe college students, including myself, frequently struggle with is the first feature of an emerging adult: forming their identity. Although it may seem as if most of one’s identity is already formed by the time they enter college, Arnett states that identity formation begins in adolescence but is intensified in emerging adulthood. This has been challenging for me, as I am someone who finds comfort in stability and routine. I am the poster child for the Type A personality. While some people find change and conflict exciting, it makes me a little uncomfortable. Being an emerging adult is more difficult than I expected, and I sometimes wonder at what point I will feel like a ‘grown up.’ Will it be when I start reading the paper? Buy a house? Stop occasionally eating cookies and ramen for breakfast? Even this question is difficult to answer, but for now I realize I will have to live feeling ‘in-between’ being a kid and an adult.

SLP has been a time for me to reflect on these feelings. The challenge that now comes with this newly formed sense of self is breaking others’ past perceptions of you so you can be true to yourself.”

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me Is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. ~Oriah Mountain Dreamer To learn more about SLP, visit gustavus.edu/servantleadership/stories.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2012-13

Many questions have been bouncing around in Brooke Meyer’s ’14 head these past few weeks. What do you really believe/value?

Where do your beliefs and values come from? Why are these important to you? Are you who you want to be, or are you the person everyone else expects you to be? These questions have come to the surface for a combination of reasons—both through SLP, personal experiences, and doing research on emerging adults and their voting behaviors.

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS COLLEGE

EMERGING ADULTHOOD: IDENTITY FORMATION AND EATING COOKIES FOR BREAKFAST

Center for Servant Leadership 800 West College Avenue St. Peter, MN 56082 507-933-7272 gustavus.edu/servantleadership