Nonprofit Leadership Development Experiential Minor

2024-25 catalog

 

Advisor- MELINDA R. MAHON, Assistant Professor
B.S., Western Illinois University; M.B.A., University of Iowa; D.B.A., St. Ambrose University

The purpose of the Nonprofit Leadership Development experiential minor is to help prepare liberal arts majors for leadership roles with non-profit organizations and to provide them with formal documentation of their competence for doing so. Like traditional academic programs, it will be structured and closely overseen by the faculty. Unlike traditional programs, a substantial fraction of the program content (as much as 500 hours of engagement) will occur in programs that do not lead to the award of academic credit or grades. We believe the program offers a valuable, rigorous experience and, at the same time, demonstrates the practicality of pursuing a liberal arts education.

The ÖйúÌå²ÊÍø Nonprofit Leadership Development experiential minor is designed to enable our graduates to flourish in dynamic nonprofit sector. The course work and experiential learning opportunities are intended to develop professional leaders who can:

? Build and communicate a shared organizational vision. (Lead and Communicate)

? Use systems thinking to analyze and address complex situations from multiple perspectives (i.e. financial, ethical, and managerial). (Analyze, Interpret, Respond)

? Encourage collaboration and synergy among diverse constituents. (Lead and Relate)

? Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental objectives and operations of a nonprofit organization. (Understand)

? Question and evaluate assumptions and models that guide practice. (Create)

The requirements are as follows:

A. Four core area courses (16 credits). Students must receive at least a C in each of the four core area courses in order to earn the experiential minor.

1. Competent communication

• MJMC 403: Public Relations;
• BUSN 320: Marketing for Non-Business Majors or
• BUSN 321: Marketing (for business majors)

2. Effective financial management

• ACCT 200: Accounting Fundamentals or
• ACCT 201: Financial Accounting

3. Knowledgeable organizational leadership

• BUSN 304: Organizational Citizenship

4. Ethical, informed decision making

• RELG 356: Business Ethics;
• RELG 355: Medical Ethics;
• PHIL 103: Social Ethics or
• PHIL 105: Life and Death

B. Four experiential learning areas:

1. Completion of the following CORE activities in consultation with a Career Coach:

? Informational Interview
? Action Plan: Developing Career Goals

2. Completion of four LinkedIn Learning courses relevant to working with nonprofit organizations. These courses should be chosen in consultation with the academic advisor. Courses are typically 60-90 minutes in length. Topics can include, but aren¡¯t limited to, the history and foundation of nonprofit organizations, future issues facing nonprofits, fundraising, event planning, social entrepreneurship, marketing and social media, stewardship and storytelling, legal and regulatory issues, fund investing, audits and fraud investigation, strategic planning, grant writing, and member relations and volunteer management.

3. Completion of a minimum of 300 hours of internship in one or more a nonprofit organization(s) with a satisfactory supervisor evaluation. The internship must be registered for 0 or more credits and must be approved by the faculty advisor.

4. Development and presentation of a portfolio/reflection paper that exemplifies the knowledge, abilities and dispositions relevant to the experiential minor, and illustrates how the student has met the goals of the experiential minor.

For a complete list of the college policies and guidelines about experiential minor, see the catalog section on Organization of the Curriculum.

Grade Point Average Notation: All courses listed in the catalog as required courses for any major and/or minor, including those courses outside of the department or with a different subject coding, are considered part of the major and will count in the grade point average. Some departments may have additional grade requirements for the courses offered within their department. Recommended supporting courses that are optional and not required may also count in the major depending on the program. For more information see your department chair or the degree requirements for Bachelor of Arts and information on Majors/Minors.