FSU Trains New Students for Service to Area Nonprofits

Tallahassee is a city of public servants, and students at The Florida State University are no exception.

Next week, new freshmen at Florida State will learn to be civic leaders, too, at the university’s Eighth Annual Service Leadership Seminar, to be held Aug. 17-21 from 9 a.m. to about 6 p.m. daily (9 a.m. to noon on Aug. 21) at the FSU Center for Leadership and Civic Education, which sponsors the event. The Center is located on campus in the Dunlap Success Center, at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Traditions Way.

“The Service Leadership Seminar welcomes new students to Florida State and Tallahassee through an engaging, exciting curriculum designed to teach them how to make a difference in our community,” said Laura Osteen, co-director of the Center.

“FSU freshmen who attend will be exposed to the many ways they can serve the Tallahassee area,” she said. “For instance, they will visit and provide community service at several nonprofit agencies, including America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend, Big Bend Cares, Refuge House, Westminster Oaks and more.”

Osteen said the annual seminar uses the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (Higher Education Research Institute, 1996) to teach, enable and empower students to lead for positive, sustainable change.

When students get involved in their community, said Bill Moeller, who serves with Osteen as co-director of the Center, nonprofit agencies and their constituents build a partnership with the university.

“Introducing our Florida State University students to ways they can build leadership skills through community involvement is a rewarding experience for us,” Moeller said. “Through the Service Leadership Seminar, we foster an atmosphere of civic responsibility and a commitment to leadership education.”

Guest speakers will include FSU Vice President for Student Affairs Mary Coburn, who will stress the importance of service and leadership in the local area.

“At The Florida State University, we make it a priority to instill a spirit of service in our students,” Coburn said. “Each year, the Service Leadership Seminar gives them a unique opportunity to learn and experience what it truly means to be a servant leader.”

In addition to the Center for Leadership and Civic Education -- part of FSU’s Division of Student Affairs -- sponsors of the Eighth Annual Service Leadership Seminar are Bagelheads, Bill’s Bookstore, Firehouse Subs, FSU Oglesby Union, Gumby’s Pizza, Olive Garden, Publix, Walmart and Winn-Dixie.

To learn more about activities scheduled during the Aug. 17-21 seminar, contact The Florida State University Center for Leadership and Civic Education at (850) 644-3342.