Seventeen Mid-South Community College students are participating in an innovative and action-oriented leadership training program designed to empower them with tools and skills to improve themselves and their communities.
The STAND (Strive Toward A New Direction) Foundation, in partnership with MSCC, is promoting self-sufficiency, civic and community involvement, and good stewardship of resources through the training on the West Memphis campus. STAND is a nonprofit organization with additional Leadership Institute programs in Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Arkadelphia, and El Dorado.
Previously focused on young professionals, the instruction at MSCC is the first to be offered for and geared toward college students. Tracy Steele, STAND chief executive officer and a member of the Arkansas Legislature, told the students that they had elected to participate in something “very, very special.”
“I promise you one thing: you will not regret the decision you made to be a part of the STAND Edward Coleman Leadership Institute,” Steele said. “It is going to be fun and beneficial. I love going through the process myself. Each and every time I have learned something very valuable that has helped me.”
“But it’s all really about you learning something that is going to help you. We build leaders, and training you to be a leader is what it’s all about. Once you are successful, we want to teach you how to give back. You can’t build up a community if you don’t lift up its people.”
MSCC President Dr. Glen Fenter said the college is elated to have the program on its campus. “We’re very excited to have the STAND Foundation here,” he said. “We’re very committed to this process, and we’re very fortunate to have people like Sen. Steele partner with us to make things happen in Eastern Arkansas.”
Dr. Fenter said the focus and goals of the STAND Leadership Institute fit well with the mission of Mid-South Community College. “Our job is to help students become better prepared to achieve their potential and put them in a position to maximize their talents, not just for themselves but for their
communities. I am firmly convinced that at the end of this process each student is going to be a better person.”
communities. I am firmly convinced that at the end of this process each student is going to be a better person.”
“We need leaders in our communities, our homes, our schools, and our churches,” Dr. Fenter continued. “There is absolutely nothing more important than leaving the world a better place than you found it, and you can’t do that by sitting on the sidelines and watching. You have to get in the game. This kind of training is going to prepare our students to get in the game and make a difference.”
Student fees associated with the initiative are being paid through MSCC’s most recently awarded Title III Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) Grant. “One of the overall goals of the PBI grant is to develop the engagement and selfconfidence of African American male students to increase their success, retention, and completion of their post secondary experience,” said PBI Program Director Paula Rose-Greer. “Through leadership and mentoring opportunities such as the STAND Leadership training, MSCC is not only investing in our students, but our community.”
MSCC students enrolled in the program include Mario Bass, Kenneth England, Lillor Johnson, Frank McCauley, James Mosley, Samantha Rogers, Diane Saulsberry, and Lori Wilson, all from West Memphis; Jeleisha Bell, Demetrius Gregory, Marcus Grisby, Michael Leslie, Regina Matthews, Jeanette Wells, all from Marion; Morella Gary, Earle; Pat G. Crume, Jericho; and Norris Lytle, Proctor.
The five-month training program focuses on increasing personal and professional productivity, promoting self-confidence, producing better citizens, and improve an individual’s economic viability. In the process, participants will develop and initiate a community service project.
“That (community service project) is one thing that makes our leadership program different from a lot of others,” Steele pointed out. “When our training is over, we leave something behind.” “We’re also one of the few leadership programs anywhere that talk about healthy lifestyles and bring in professionals in that area. How can you be an effective leader if you don’t take care of your body and mind?”
Steele said other areas of emphasis include communication, goal setting, Parliamentary procedure, time management, and public policy. “We’re going to give you the best,” he told the students. “We’re going to show you how to be successful in the workplace, how to build those important professional relationships, how to get to that next level, and how to work as a team.”
Each training session includes a facilitator, and speakers from a wide range of backgrounds and areas of expertise will participate as well. Dr. Christopher Davis, pastor of the St. Paul Baptist Church of Memphis and a product of West Memphis High School, spoke at the initial session.
For more information about leadership and other training/education opportunities at the college, visit the campus at 2000 West Broadway in West Memphis, call the Admissions Office at (870) 733-6728, email admissions@midsouthcc.edu, or see the college’s website at www.midsouthcc.edu.
For more information about The STAND Foundation, visit standone.com or call (501) 374-8788.
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