11/3/11
 |
Students cleared debris in the Town of Ashland. |
 |
Leadership Through Service Day encourages students to demonstrate leadership through community service. |
 |
Sociology Professor Reber Dunkel is the
coordinator of SERVE. |
Randolph-Macon College celebrated Leadership Service Day on October 23, 2011. Students worked throughout the day to clear debris in the Town of Ashland along Mechumps Creek, from Pufferbelly Park to I-95, and the island at the intersection of College Avenue and Rt. 1. Leadership Through Service Day is part of
R-MC’s Leadership Fellows Program and is designed to encourage students to demonstrate leadership through community service.
“The Leadership Fellows Program is a four-year co-curricular experience designed to prepare students for success through an understanding of the theoretical bedrock of leadership and its practical application to real-world issues,” says James McGhee, assistant dean of students. “Leadership Fellows participate in various experiences such as Leadership Through Service Day, The Annual Student Leadership Conference, The Leadership Case Study Competition, and The Great Leadership Hunt, which takes place in Washington, D.C. These experiences tie together the theory and practice of leadership to produce a holistic understanding of what it means to be a lifelong leader.”
To read more SERVE stories, click here. Nearly 60 students participated in the event, representing the Leadership Fellows Program, the
Service Fellows Program, the
College Panhellenic Council, the Inter-fraternity Council, the
Student Government Association, Alpha Gamma Delta,
Delta Zeta,
Kappa Alpha Theta,
Kappa Alpha Order, and
Phi Kappa Sigma.
According to R-MC
Sociology Professor Reber Dunkel, the coordinator of Students Engaged in Responsible Volunteer Experiences (
SERVE), the Leadership Fellows Program is an excellent example of the innovative programs offered by the
Office of Student Life. “It complements our students’ formal education,” says Dunkel. “A college program devoted to leadership and community service fosters civic responsibility and experiential education while simultaneously developing leadership potential. The entire community reaps the benefits.”
Cleaning and restoring Mechumps Creek has been an interest for R-MC students since 2003, when
Environmental Studies Professor Chas. Gowan and
Political Science Professor Lauren Bell taught “A River Runs Through It,” which was part of the college’s
First-Year-Experience (FYE) pilot program.
In 2010-11, R-MC students collectively amassed almost 8,000 volunteer hours. Nearly 50 students spent an alternative Spring Break in Florida for a combined 950 hours with Habitat for Humanity and 130 hours for a Haiti Relief project. Students in R-MC’s Greek organizations contributed more than 4,500 hours of collective service to the community, collected 550 pounds of canned food, donated 60 inches of hair to Locks of Love, 21 toys to Toys for Tots and generous funds to various organizations. In addition, money was raised on campus and donated to the Red Cross & Partners in Health for the Haiti Earthquake Relief. The SERVE program, in the Office of Student Life, is an integral part of Randolph-Macon’s Leadership Development and Service Initiative.