Senior and Faculty Mentor Selected for Business Leadership Academy
February 08, 2011
Amanda Simmons, a sport business major set to graduate in April,
and Barbara Caldwell, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Accounting
and Computer Information Systems, represented Saint Leo University
at an ambitious leadership academy program sponsored by the
academic honor society Sigma Beta Delta. The international society
for majors in business, management, and administration organized a
specialized three-day conference in late January to groom
student-members in global leadership skills.
Lofty goals were set for
the students, all of whom were from colleges and universities with
Sigma Beta Delta chapters. The students and their faculty mentors
were assigned to read the recent business title, Connected: The
Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our
Lives, by noted social scientist James H. Fowler, Ph.D., (pictured
with Barbara Caldwell, left, and Amanda Simmons, right) and
Nicholas A. Christakis, M.D., Ph.D. Next, the students, working in
teams, were asked to present ideas for projects in which they would
apply management and organizational skills, along with social
networking, to help Sigma Beta Delta “make a difference for
humanity.”
The student teams came up with some extraordinary ideas, from
which just a few were chosen as projects to consider for action,
Caldwell related. One was that students could use social media
sites to encourage other students to save money by eating out less
frequently, and donating that money to one of the international
organizations that feeds the hungry in emerging nations. Another
idea was to teach financial literacy to young children by working
with an organization such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Both of these ideas centered on working with existing
organizations, rather than starting new ones, to tackle problems in
the most efficient way possible.
“I have become good friends with people from all over the world,”
Simmons said of her experience. “One of my project teammates goes
to college in Ohio, but is from Afghanistan. It was amazing to hear
his stories and perceptions of the world.” In fact, Caldwell added,
one of the ideas that emerged from that team was to sell scarves
and other goods made by women in Afghanistan to help advance their
cottage businesses and give them a better means of support.
“There were no bad ideas,” said Caldwell. “It was amazing to hear
what these young adults are aware of. It was really encouraging. It
was just a wonderful experience.” This was the first Leadership
Academy run by Sigma Delta Beta, and more are anticipated. Saint
Leo has had a chapter of the honor society since 1994.
