MBA Students Learn Leadership in the Field

While no one doubts that leadership skills are an important component of becoming a successful manager, the Hull College MBA students go beyond learning about leadership in their Managerial Leadership: Professional and Personal Development classroom.  In their Managerial Leadership class, they are engaging the business community to assist with their learning. The course introduces students to the theoretical foundations of leadership while studying and defining personal leadership styles in the community. Professor Cathy Slade reinforces experiential education by encouraging service learning projects with local non-profit organizations. “At the Hull College, we know that there is nothing more challenging than leading a voluntary or non-profit organization- the resources are often limited and the needs of the constituents and stakeholders are always great,” explains Slade.

MBA students enrolled in Professor Slade’s course engage with local non-profit organizations to study leadership and foster professional growth through a class project. “This project provides a unique opportunity for our students to engage with a very important and appreciated sector of our business community,”stated Slade.  For example, last semester a group of students partnered with the Ronald McDonald House for their class assignment, a local non-profit organization that provides lodging for families with hospitalized children under the age of 21 who are being treated at nearby healthcare facilities. One MBA student, Carol Dickerson, shared her experience, “I enjoyed learning about the inner workings of the Ronald McDonald House and non-profits in general. The intricacies and leadership challenges are more involved than what I had originally perceived.”

Professor Slade will continue to incorporate experiential learning and service learning projects into her future MBA courses, “Our goal through the project is to encourage our students to help meet community needs, while promoting their learning and development as business professionals and leaders.”