Updates – The Jepson Blog

Kaine, Obama COO, company CEOs and scholars present on Evolving Perspectives on Ethics

Highlights, articles, videos and photos from: Evolving Perspectives on Ethics

It’s a rare occasion when scholars from varied disciplines meet with business leaders, non-profit leaders, laywers and professionals to discuss doing the right things. That’s what happened last month at the “Evolving Perspectives on Ethics” conference at the University of Richmond.

“Ethics is at the heart of leadership. For centuries, philosophers have exchanged opinions about right and wrong but only recently have scholars collaborated to integrate their research in fields such as sociology, psychology, social justice, leadership studies, business and the law,” said Dean Sandra J. Peart of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies.

Keynote speakers and panelists addressed many themes, including respect, collaboration and identity.

The Evolving Perspectives on Ethics Symposium is a collaborative effort of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, the Robins School of Business, and the University of Richmond School of Law at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Va. The symposium is made possible by a grant from the Richard Davoud Donchian Foundation, dedicated to “building the framework for intelligent, ethical and compassionate leadership.”

Bios and conference details

Photos from the conference

Former Jepson leader-in-residence Leland Melvin has cameo on ‘Top Chef’

NASA presented some challenges to “Top Chef” reality TV show competitors. Anthony Bourdain, Padma Lakshmi and Buzz Aldrin judged the “Space Food” episode of the show.

Leland Melvin, an alumnus of the University of Richmond, made an appearance at the dining table.

Chefs created dishes that could be freeze-dried and sent into space. The winner: Angelo Sosa’s ginger lacquered short ribs with pea puree, pickled mushrooms and horseradish crÃ¨me fraiche will be eaten by astronauts living and working in space.

The episode aired on Sept. 1 and repeats Wednesday evening, Sept. 8, at 9 p.m. Or, you can watch it online.

This episode featured the space program with portions shot at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Make your donation to Jepson Internship Fund by Dec. 31, 2009

Civic engagement is a hallmark of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. Our anniversary year celebrated service. In spring 2009, the Jepson School marked the 15th anniversary of its first graduating class at Reunion Weekend. Leading up to that occasion, the Alumni Networking Committee staged a virtual service project. Alumni supported the School by reporting their hours of service. Thank you to all who participated in a project that is a national model.

In another first, the committee set up the Jepson Internship Fund. This special fund will pay a stipend and help with living expenses for a student in a nonprofit internship. The 240-hour Jepson internships provide hands-on learning experiences in which students apply theories learned in classes to real-world problem solving and action.

Jepson students who seek internships with organizations in government or nonprofit sectors often have limited choices because these organizations cannot pay interns. This is all the more true in today’s current economic climate, when layoffs and budget cuts are all too common.

Your gift will help a student secure a challenging internship and glean valuable insights while helping a not-for-profit in its important work.

Please make a gift to the Jepson Internship Fund today online at this secure form.

Designate your gift as “other.”
In the comment box, note that it is for the Jepson Internship Fund.
You can give in convenient monthly installments.
Or, make your pledge by calling 804-287-1991 or emailing jepson@richmond.edu.

Please enter your October service hours

Thanks to those of you who have taken a minute and entered your service hours for October. I know lots of you are doing lots of things that count as civic engagement/service€”such as when someone volunteers to lead a workshop session for a civic leadership group, helps with a school fundraiser, participates in a church activity, plays an instrument in a volunteer orchestra, tutors a child who lives in an at-risk neighborhood. The list goes on. Shoot me an email at jepson@richmond.edu or enter service hours in the Jepson service project database. http://jepson.richmond.edu/anniversary/150days.html

Thoughts on Leadership from Hands On Greater Richmond Day

Several Jepson students, alums and even one Dean (thanks Dean Williams!) participated in the first Hands On Richmond Day. Our job was to provide “back-up” for Hands On staff as they checked folks in and signed them up at the kick off. The rally actually got me awake and alert on a Saturday morning, not an easy feat. After the kick off, I went to volunteer at Southside Child Development Center where I got to see one of my colleagues in action as true leader.

Shelia Pleasants is the Director of Southside Child Development Center, a center providing scholarships and subsidized child care to 2-12 year olds in the Richmond area. Southside is one of the oldest child care centers in Richmond and has a long tradition of dedicating high quality services to low-income families. I knew Shelia because Southside participates in Success By 6’s STAR project, a comprehensive quality improvement and professional development program for child care centers.

When I arrived at Southside on Saturday, Shelia gave me a big hug and a paintbrush. She had three projects going simultaneously– painting a room inside, laying new mulch and painting a rusty fence to give it a new look. As I got to work on the fence, Shelia never seemed to stop. She had a shovel of mulch in her hand while she was problem solving for the painters inside. As soon as we finished one section of the fence, she had another section ready to go. There was Shelia up on a ladder sweeping cobwebs. And a second later, back off the ladder with “goop” to clean our paint-splattered hands. Every moment she was upbeat, focused and thankful. Every moment she made me want to work harder on the task at hand.

Shelia is truly a servant leader. She dedicates her days, even her weekends, to making sure the kids of Southside have the best and most nurturing experience in their early years. She walks the walk and talks the talk of what a caring and trustworthy leader should be. She does all of this without fanfare– just consistent, quality care and leadership. I think Shelia is a gem in Richmond’s nonprofit community and I hope that other Jepsonites will get to experience leadership like Shelia’s during the 150 Days of Service.

Jepson alumni and students on the front lines for Hands On Greater Richmond Day of service

What a difference a day makes is the idea Saturday, Oct. 18, when hundreds of volunteers will tackle 30 community enrichment projects for the Hands On Greater Richmond Day. On the front lines for the kick-off event at the Richmond International Raceway, Jepson alumni and students will check in registrants and help get the day off to a good start.

Emily Griffey, class of 2001, organized this project as part of Jepson's 150 Days in a Lifetime of Service Campaign, an ongoing virtual service campaign that invites students, faculty, and alumni of the school to report their volunteer hours leading up to Reunion Weekend 2009.

Hands On Greater Richmond's mission is to inform, inspire and engage volunteers through meaningful service and leadership opportunities to create positive change in our community.

"I'm glad that Richmond area alumni could kick off their involvement in the 150 Days of Service Campaign by participating in this day of service,” Griffey said. “This event represents a great way to reconnect with Jepson, the Richmond community and our role as leaders by finding the time to give back."

Saturday morning, metro media celebrities Bill Bevins and Julie Bragg will emcee the event that includes corporate sponsor speakers as well as remarks by the Richmond public schools' superintendent and the head of the city parts and recreation department. Participants signed up for various projects scattered across the metro area. Tasks ranged from landscaping at Chimborazo Park, cardmarking with ElderFriends, pinting a mural at Maymont and others.

More information:
www.jepson.richmond.edu/anniversary/service
http://www.handsongreaterrichmond.org

First weekend of 150 Days of Service

The Fall is such a great time to serve. With so many outdoor events and political events, you almost have to spend your time deciding which event to do!

Since kick off on Thursday…

I’ve attended a Fan Woman’s Club meeting on Women & Politics (2 hours) where we heard from our state delegate and school board candidates- all women. I volunteered at the SPCA’s Furball selling raffle tickets (5 hours). What a fun event to get dressed up, head to The Jefferson and you can even bring your dog as a date!

This week I’m planning to:
1) Canvass for Obama! I love to share with people why I’m supporting an exciting leader!
2) Attend a Mayoral Candidates Forum… I really need to learn more about who will make the best leader for Richmond right now.
3) Mentor at Chandler Middle School as part of the AMP! Mentoring program.
4) Attend Junior League training on Community Involvement. I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on it but I’m interested on their perspective
5) Volunteer at the Richmond Folk Festival. A new favorite fall event in Richmond! Volunteering here is fun– I’ll be pouring wine!
6) And although its not volunteering… I’ll be cheering on the Spiders vs. JMU on Sat. Go Spiders!

And see… I just submitted my volunteer hours and plan for the next week!

The following week I’m looking forward to Hands On Greater Richmond Day with Jepson alums and current students. Look for a link and more info about Hands On soon! (When I learn more about how to blog…. this is my first post ever!)

Alumni launch virtual civic engagement project

Oct. 2, 2008

In a union of technology and purpose and volunteerism, the Jepson School of Leadership Studies alumni networking committee is promoting "150 Days in a Lifetime of Service," an online community campaign focused on community service and civic engagement.

Beginning today until Feb. 28, 2009, alumni, students, staff and faculty members of the Jepson School are invited to report their service hours on an online form and foster connections via blog responses and discussion at the Jepson Service Project group online network. Similar to Facebook, the Jepson Service Project group is a private network hosted by the University Web site, where members can create a profile, post notes, attach photos and include information about themselves. In addition, faculty and alumni and other invited bloggers will be posting reflections on community engagement, justice and service to society at a Jepson blog.

Jepson alumni Greg Efthimiou (class of ’99) and Jonathan Zur (’03) are chairing the initiative.

"Everything counts in this project," notes Sue Robinson, who directs Jepson's Community Programs Office. "We hope people will take a few minutes from their busy lives and tell us what engages them in their communities. We expect to get a sense of the kinds of volunteer commitments and interests our alumni have and we hope our students will benefit from connecting with alumni on the common ground of doing good."

Community engagement is a cornerstone for the Jepson School. Its mission is to advance the understanding of leadership and the challenges of ethical and effective engagement in society. Jepson students complete approximately 3,000 hours of volunteer service per semester with local nonprofit organizations and alumni report that they learned about being active citizens at Jepson.

Jepson Service Project Group: http://groups.richmond.edu/group/jepson
Jepson Blog http://blog.richmond.edu/jepson/
Project web page www.jepson.richmond/anniversary/service.htm
E-form http://jepson.richmond.edu/anniversary/150DaysinLifetimeofService.htm
Contact: Jepson@richmond.edu or 804-287-6627 with any questions/concerns

How to get involved

Community engagement has always been a hallmark of education in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. The 150 Days in a Lifetime of Service project is a virtual community engagement campaign that marks the 15th anniversary celebration of the first graduating class of The School. Project chairs are Greg Efthimiou (class of ’99) and Jonathan Zur (’03).Collectively, we’ll recognize the contributions alumni already make in their communities across the country and around the world, and inspire others to embrace the Jepson spirit in service to their communities. Together we can make a difference and exemplify what it means to be servant leaders in our communities.Jepson School alumni, students, staff and faculty will come together online to report hours of service given Oct. 2, 2008 through Feb. 28, 2009.

How to get involved:

Do what you normally do or take on a special project.
Service can be hands-on or more strategic or talent-based. Examples
We provide three ways to report in.
1. Report hours on a simple electronic form,
2. Post a note to the Jepson Service Project group.
3. Email your information to jepson@richmond.edu.
Fill out as many forms as you like during the 150-day reporting period.
Read the Jepson blog where various voices will be posting.
Post responses to the blog or start or join in discussions at the group
Questions? Email Sue Robinson at jepson@richmond.edu or call 804-287-6627.

About the Jepson Service Project group:
The Jepson Service Project "group" is part of an online network housed on the University Web site. This is a secure, private group open only to Jepson graduates, faculty, staff, students and close friends of the Jepson School. It operates like Facebook.

Joining takes two steps: First, go to http://groups.richmond.edu and join the University of Richmond group. Set up a short personal profile. Then, search for “Jepson” and join the Jepson Service Project group or request an invitation to join. You can then post notes, photos and information about yourself . The Community Programs Office will post alerts to the Group when new Blog postings go up or when there's other project news to share.