Center for Student Leadership receives $250‚000 gift
On the eve of its first anniversary‚ the Center for Student Leadership has received $250‚000 in support of its mission of helping produce graduates who are engaged citizens.
Georgia
(Aug 11, 2005) — On the eve of its first anniversary‚ the Center for Student Leadership has received
$250‚000 in support of its mission of helping produce graduates who are engaged citizens.
“The Center for Student Leadership provides programs and services to promote‚ educate
and develop ethical leaders here at our institution‚” Director Brian Wooten said.
“We want to produce solid‚ strong graduates who leave our university and make an impact
on their world.”
At a scholarship signing ceremony June 30‚ retired Tip Top Poultry executive Chet
Austin made a $250‚000 gift to the center‚ which will provide stipends and scholarships
for students participating in leadership activities.
“This scholarship will provide an opportunity for students to participate in our programs‚
who might not be able to otherwise because of a job‚” Wooten said.
As an employee of the post office just out of a two−year stint in the Navy‚ Austin
recalled his time holding down a job while taking night classes at Georgia State University
to earn his degree.
“I admire these young people who say they work and go to school‚” he said.
The Center for Student Leadership is a unit of Academic Affairs and Student Success
and Enrollment Services. As the first university in the nation to create an entire
division focused on student success‚ the creation of the student leadership center
is a natural progression.
“The center creates a seamless experience for a student‚ where they are able to take
advantage of the learning that happens outside the classroom through our programs‚
but that happens in the context of a strong basis in academic and curricular work‚”
Wooten said. “Students learn best when they have the opportunity to apply what they’re
learning.”
The student leadership center offers the following programs and services:
· Leaders in Kennesaw (LINK) Ethical Leadership Certificate Program;
· Presidential Fellow Program;
· Northwest Crescent Student Alliance;
· Center for Student Leadership Fellow Program;
· CSL Leadership Library; and
· CSL Leadership Workshops.
Just as some other institutions of higher learning are defined by their graduates‚
i.e. a “Morehouse man‚” a “Spelman woman” or Harvard grad‚ Wooten said it is his hope
that the student leadership center will help cultivate a brand for KSU graduates as
ethical leaders.
“We need to be generating students who are civically engaged‚ and who have an understanding
that you have to look out for the well−being of the bigger picture and not just yourself‚”
Wooten said. “If we do not instill an understanding‚ and respectful understanding
of others in our students‚ then when they do enter society‚ they’re not going to be
as productive as they could be.”
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its approximately 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the third-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 92 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status, and one of the 50 largest public institutions in the country. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
