Idaho State University’s Leadership Development program has been hard at work doing service projects for the Idaho Food Bank and Toys for Tots this semester.
The relatively new program is in its third semester but this is the first semester the group has done a service program.
Group members placed food donation bins around campus this fall.
When they brought the donations to the food bank, the program’s members were “excited” to learn they had collected 1,902 pounds of food, according to program coordinator Stacey Marshall.
“The Food Bank was very excited,” Marshall said.
The group also volunteered 180 hours of service to Toys for Tots this holiday season.
Marshall said the program will continue to do service projects in future semesters.
Although the program members were only required to do one service project, they decided they wanted to “serve and give,” said Marshall.
By sorting and wrapping Toys for Tots presents, the course members are completing the service aspect of that plan.
Collecting Food Bank donations is the other half of their project.
“For the last month they have been doing a Food Bank drive,” says Marshall.
Marshall said some members of the program were unable to attend the Toys for Tots service activity. Many of them donated turkeys to the Idaho Food Bank instead.
One member donated three turkeys to the Food Bank.
The Leadership Development Program is a 15-week course for full-time ISU faculty and staff.
The program will graduate 50 students this semester, said Marshall.
“They are identified as either current or future leaders at ISU,” said Marshall. “It’s a high level class.”
Each week, program members attend a workshop focused on aspects of leadership.
“The first one starts out with an institutional leadership class,” Marshall said of the workshops. “That one is presented by the vice presidents.”
Other workshop topics include ethics, respect in the workplace and diversity, support services, conflict management and public relations.
“We cover everything that we think a leader needs to know at ISU,” said Marshall.
The final workshop is called The President’s Discussion. President Vailas will talk about his ideas on leadership. He will then lead a discussion involving a question and answer session.
“We then give out diplomas and have a really nice lunch. It’s become a very, very popular program that we have here at ISU,” Marshall said.
President Arthur Vailas and Vice President for Finance and Administration James Fletcher spearheaded the leadership program, according to Marshall. David Miller, ISU’s director of human resources, worked with Marshall to implement the program.
Marshall looked at programs at Boise State, the state of Idaho and other universities in the area. They then tailored the program to fit ISU’s specific leadership needs.
To join the program, ISU employees must be nominated by the vice president of their department. Some departments have a waiting list due to the program’s popularity.
