![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/files\/2019\/09\/PhilanthropyFB.jpg\")
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I recently spent a bright, sunny morning sitting outside a coffee shop waiting to meet one of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies<\/a><\/span>\u2019 many generous alumni. As I prepared for the meeting, my thoughts turned to philanthropy\u2014hers and that of so many generous donors who have made the Jepson School so special. I\u2019m grateful to know them and grateful for their support.<\/p>\n My goal as dean of the Jepson School is to be able to say yes<\/em> to all the good ideas of the faculty, staff, and students. Most of the time I succeed, in large measure because of the generosity of our parents, alumni, and special benefactors.<\/p>\n Is there a connection between leadership and philanthropy? A quick review of historically important generosity (think of Andrew Carnegie, Andrew Mellon, and Bob and Alice Jepson<\/a><\/span>) suggests the two are tightly connected. If, as we think of it in the Jepson School, leadership is a process of influence, then philanthropy is a form of leadership.<\/p>\n The gift Bob and Alice gave to found the Jepson School changed the landscape of higher education in America. Other gifts to the School, though on a smaller scale, nevertheless represent a form of leadership.<\/p>\n Of course, this connection raises additional questions. Some philanthropists have very specific goals they hope to achieve through their philanthropic efforts. At the Jepson School, we are presently promoting our\u00a0Profile-Raising Initiative<\/a><\/span> to help potential employers and thought leaders connect Jepson with LEADERSHIP and better understand the skills and talents of our graduates. Donors who wish to support that specific goal are most welcome!<\/p>\n Sometimes, as recent scandals have reminded us, the desired influence is more akin to a personal favor. That sort of self-serving \u201cphilanthropy\u201d raises all sorts of ethical red flags. The trading of favors through a gift to a coach, counselor, or any other staff member is simply unacceptable.<\/p>\n In higher education, the favor may take the form of admission to an elite school, control or influence over the curriculum, or circumvention of hiring practices. In such cases, it is important for the institution\u2019s leadership to recognize the red flags and be willing to say no<\/em>.<\/p>\n Fortunately, philanthropy directed towards the Jepson School has been of the former sort, rather than the latter. Our alumni and other supporters are excited by what we are attempting to achieve. Whether in support of the EDGE Institute<\/a><\/span>, the Profile-Raising Initiative<\/a><\/span>, or an endowed chair, they step up and continue to help us raise the bar for excellent teaching, scholarship, and student and\u00a0alumni achievements.<\/p>\n In my view, they are all ethical leaders, influencing the future without trading for favors. And that\u2019s a good thing, because their support ensures we can continue to be the world\u2019s best leadership studies school!<\/p>\n Photo: Student Liam McGrinder, \u201920, left, chats with alumnus Oliver Lee, \u201916, right, during the Jepson School\u2019s EDGE Institute, an alumni-sponsored professional development program for students.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I recently spent a bright, sunny morning sitting outside a coffee shop waiting to meet one of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies\u2019 many generous alumni. As I prepared for the meeting, my thoughts turned to philanthropy\u2014hers and that of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":592,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72439,72455],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jepson-school-of-leadership-studies","category-leadership-theory"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/592"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/leadershipspeculations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}