The Hunger Project: Exercising Civic Leadership with the Community for the Common Good in an Introductory Leadership Course

Abstract

Contemporary trends in leadership education emphasize paradigms of learning and educational practices associated with developing responsible citizens, furthering higher education's civic mission. Yet, few introductory leadership courses include an explicit civic component (Johnson & Woodard, 2014). Service-learning is a high-impact practice designed to link the classroom and community in meaningful ways (Kuh, 2008). This application brief illustrates how Kansas State University faculty, students, and community partners engaged in a semester-long service-learning experience for the purpose of exercising leadership to make progress on the social issue of food insecurity. We describe how service-learning can be a catalyst to explore and engage the learning nexus of social challenges, leadership, and civic engagement in an introductory leadership course.

Community‐Engaged Pedagogy in the Virtual Classroom: Integrating eService‐Learning Into Online Leadership Education

“…Leadership educators have reaffirmed the intersections of community engagement and leadership education for the purpose of developing civic and socially responsible leaders. Community‐engaged learning has been central for some educators, but it has unfortunately remained a peripheral consideration for others (Priest et al, ). The symposium articulates the case for community‐engaged scholarship and teaching as “pedagogy of practice” (Ganz & Lin, ).…”

“…The evolving discipline of leadership studies recognizes the necessity of cultivating civic‐mindedness as a fundamental disposition to effective, sustainable 21st century leadership (Priest, Bauer, & Fine, ; Seemiller, ; Wagner & Pigza, ). Community‐engaged learning pedagogies support learners’ exploration of leadership theory and practice, including its more recent social justice orientations, while enabling learners to experience personally how mutuality and reciprocity undergird collaboration across sectors in communities (Wagner & Pigza, ; Waldner, ).…”

“…More specifically, Seemiller () demonstrates how common leadership competencies are aligned with the multiple forms of service typically included in community‐engaged pedagogies. Yet, despite the intrinsic alignment between leadership competencies and learning outcomes associated with community‐engaged pedagogies, community‐engaged learning is surprisingly absent from majority of introductory leadership courses, and the instructional strategy is an unlikely top priority among leadership educators (Jenkins, ; Johnson & Woodard, ; Priest et al, ).…”

Management and Re-tooling of Community Service Learning -A Competency-Based Curriculum Strategy for the Realization of Sustainable Development for Developing Nations

“…Service-learning is beneficial to student teachers as it enhances their communication competencies, critical thinking, and compassion (Priest, Bauer & Fine, 2015). It also assists them in guiding their leaners during career selection sessions, comprehending intricate social matters, and on how to relate with wider society and its functionality.…”

“…Furthermore, research has shown improved institution and society partnerships as a result of adopting service learning (Priest, Bauer & Fine, 2015;Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993 as cited by Van Dijk, Herrington, Crofts, Breunig, Burris, Sullivan & Thomson,2019). Moreover, nearly two-thirds of earlier community-based learners (sixty-four percent) attest that their involvement in community service-learning augmented their enthusiasm for community engagement beyond the completion of the related programs.…”