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Category: Engaged Scholarship

Congratulations to the fall cohort of the 2023 City of Manhattan Leadership Academy

Posted on by Staley School of Leadership

The Staley School of Leadership recently wrapped up the 2023 City of Manhattan Leadership Academy. This three-month intensive experience brings together employees from across various City departments to sharpen their leadership skills, expand their understanding of leadership, and forge connections across City departments.

Facilitated by faculty from the Staley School, this work empowers employees to better exercise leadership from wherever they are in the organization. Over the course of six sessions, participants engaged in leadership development activities and conversations. Topics covered included leadership theory, utilizing your strengths, adaptive leadership, leadership coaching, and ethical dimensions of leadership.

“It has been an honor to connect leadership learning and scholarship to our local Manhattan community through the City of Manhattan Leadership Academy,” said Chance Lee, director of the nonprofit leadership program at Kansas State University. “Through this partnership, the models and ideas we teach in the classroom are applied in real-world scenarios through all of the great work of the participants.”

Faculty who facilitated sessions include: Innocent Assoman, graduate teaching assistant; Tamara Bauer, instructor and program director; Mike Finnegan, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of K-State Strengths; Chance Lee, Ph.D., CNP, assistant professor and director of nonprofit leadership; Mary Kay Siefers, Ph.D., teaching professor and director of global food systems leadership; and Murry Streetman, D.E.L., assistant professor. Learn more about these members of the Staley School faculty on our website.

Continue reading “Congratulations to the fall cohort of the 2023 City of Manhattan Leadership Academy” →

Staley School seeks students to participate in leadership challenge event

Posted on by Staley School of Leadership

Imagine your community is the midst of a crisis: a massive electrical outage, a hazardous spill, or the collapse of a major communications system across a town.

Now, imagine you are one of about four to six individuals in a position of leadership in that community that is called into action to work through the logistics and processes needed to persevere. And you’ll be judged on how your team works together to formulate the action plan.

The Washburn University Leadership Challenge Event (LCE) is a two-day crisis management simulation and an opportunity for applied learning. It provides students with intellectual and practical leadership development in a unique forum and the opportunity to network with peers from across the country.

The Staley School of Leadership is looking for undergraduate or masters-seeking students to participate in the 2024 event, which will take place Feb. 29-March 1, 2024. Students will represent Kansas State University in the two-day event at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Travel, meals, and accommodations are included, and the team will travel with Emmanuel Jeje, team advisor and graduate research assistant for the Kansas State University Office of Engagement.

Students interested in participating on the K-State team at the 2024 Washburn Leadership Challenge Event should email Emmanuel Jeje at eajeje@ksu.edu by Dec. 8, 2023.

K-State’s 2023 Washburn LCE team. Pictured: Back row from left: Emmanuel Jeje, Christopher Randol, Karlyn Gustin, Austin Drake. Front row from left: Jess Ramirez, Anna Coke

Last year, the Staley School took a team of five. View a story map of the event here. Continue reading “Staley School seeks students to participate in leadership challenge event” →

Revealing how to lead change in Africa by Africans: A review of It Takes a Village 

Posted on by Staley School of Leadership

In this book review, Chibuzor Azubuike takes a deep dive into It Takes a Village: Leading Social Change in Africa (2023) by Nigerian scholar Onyedikachi Ekwerike, Ph.D., who is currently a lecturer at the Institute for Leadership Advancement in the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia.  

This begins with a foreword from Nyasha GuramatunhuCooper, Ph.D. She writes with the endearment of a mother who is proud of her son’s achievement, and yet firmly charges readers, using parables, to not only read this book but implement Ekwerike’s submission. As a Zimbabwean leadership scholar, she is excited to read a leadership book by a fellow African, given that African scholars are under-represented in leadership curriculum and literature. She, however stated that she could be scared if anyone reads this book and does not take positive actions towards social change. 

Photo of the book cover: It Takes a VillageIn the book’s introduction, Ekwerike recounts his own story. Through leading a mental health organization in Nigeria, as well as being part of leadership development programs like the Mandela Washington Fellowship, he realized that there was a need for more in order to do more, which led him to a doctoral program and ultimately to writing this book. He went through the learning process and then wrote this book to teach young people how to learn social change effectively. This book is a product of qualitative research work for his Ph.D. dissertation.  

In chapter one, The Problem with Nigeria, Africa, you will notice that Nigeria is crossed out, coupled with the use of illustrations. Both styles are used in Okechukwu Ofili’s books, a Nigerian author who writes with sarcasm. In Ekwerike’s book, Nigeria represents Africa, as he says he is providing a holistic approach, while the context and research for this book is centered in Nigeria, the problems and processes to address those problems apply across the continent.     Continue reading “Revealing how to lead change in Africa by Africans: A review of It Takes a Village “ →

2022 Mandela Washington Fellows: Leading for Pan-Africanism 

Posted on by Staley School of Leadership

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a flagship program of the U.S. department of state to support young African leaders. The program includes Entrepreneurship and Public Administration tracks, and the Staley School hosts an annual Civic Leadership Institute.

The Fellows come from diverse backgrounds and are doing incredible work to impact lives and transform their communities. In this blog, former Fellow Elizabeth Chunda analyses the employing of new leadership models and styles in advancing the pan-African agenda. She explores ways in which young leaders are advancing pan-Africanism in comparison to generations that have come before them.  

Pan-Africanism, which started in the 19th century, is now becoming overly pronounced and appreciated. Pan-Africanism now in modern times differs from Pan-Africanism when it first started, but it still has the same goal: to unify Africa, to bring unity amongst Black people, and to enrich the continent with development. Modern Pan-Africanism has continued to promote solidarity amongst Africans and Black people in general. 

Leaders in previous generations were leading the transition and progression of the continent. Their aim was to fight racism, inequality, and colonialism, but they were caught in Neo-colonialism or greed and corruption. Leading then was challenging because of the obstacles in their way; for instance, the previous generations did not have the civic platforms or freedoms of participation compared to the young leaders today. The difference in leadership now and leadership then can be seen in the number of young leaders that are leading. Many young people’s voices are being heard; they are standing up for what they believe in and standing up for what they want for their futures. They are more attached to defending their African heritage and identity, and most of these young leaders are not even aware that they are pushing forward the Pan-African Agenda. Ifor (2016) explained that this movement is not only limited to political development but also individual leadership development and this kind of development undoubtedly will project the continent to first world status.  Continue reading “2022 Mandela Washington Fellows: Leading for Pan-Africanism “ →

Cultivating Leadership for a Thriving Future: Staley School scholars present at international conference

Posted on by Staley School of Leadership

Kansas State University faculty and doctoral students participated in the 25th annual International Leadership Association (ILA) Global Conference. The conference took place online Oct. 3-4, 2023, and in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Oct. 12-15.

The ILA is the largest worldwide professional community committed to leadership scholarship, practice, development, and education. Their mission is to advance leadership knowledge and practice for a better world.

The conference theme, Cultivating Leadership for a Thriving Future, speaks to the essential role leadership educators, practitioners, and researchers play in convening and holding space, fostering rich and open dialogue, and creating opportunities for mutual learning and appreciation of different perspectives and ways of being. Through this kind of leadership, we can build a future based on hope, mutual respect and the common good.

Staley School scholars participated in both the in-person and online sections of the conference. Their scholarship reflects the Staley School of Leadership’s research priorities: advancing leadership learning and development, building civic capacity, and leading change.

“The scholarship presented by K-State students and faculty reflect the kind of collaboration and innovation needed to advance leadership education in higher education and public leadership research and practice,” said Trisha Gott, Ed.D., assistant professor and associate dean of the Staley School of Leadership.

Following is a list of the presentations and their contributors: Continue reading “Cultivating Leadership for a Thriving Future: Staley School scholars present at international conference” →

McNair Scholars application deadline extended

Posted on by Staley School of Leadership

The McNair Scholars Program is now accepting applications for its 29th cohort.

Students in any major are welcome to apply. The objective of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program is to guide eligible students through the process of applying to graduate school and to prepare them for attaining doctoral degrees. Eligible students must be first-generation college students and income-eligible, or from an underrepresented ethnic group in graduate study.

The McNair Scholars Program has been an important part of the undergraduate experience at Kansas State University since 1995 and is a federally funded TRIO program designed to honor the legacy of astronaut Dr. Ronald E. McNair. In addition to preparing participants for success as graduate students, professors, and professional researchers, the McNair Program opportunities include

  • a paid summer research internship
  • preparation for the GRE exam
  • mentoring by McNair staff and K-State faculty
  • assistance with applications for graduate school

This year, priority consideration will be given to applications received by October 18, 2023. Applications received after that date will be considered as openings remain. Application requirements include

  • a completed application form
  • an essay sharing your story, goals, and interest in graduate study
  • copies of transcripts of all college courses taken (unofficial are fine)
  • two faculty references

Additional information about the program, activities of past participants, and application forms can be found at our website. Submit your application through Canvas. Please request access before starting your application. Faculty references may be submitted by the faculty member via email to mcnair@ksu.edu or delivered to 007 Holton Hall.

If you think you might be interested in graduate school or the program, you are welcome to call, email, or meet with our staff and discuss educational possibilities. Email mcnair@ksu.edu or call 785-532-6137 to connect with staff and arrange a meeting.