Nantais continues leadership legacy, visits classrooms
Pat Mack
Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: Features
Our world can assuredly never have enough of one thing: leaders.
That's why UDM has always dedicated itself to developing capable and understanding leaders for our communities.
The Leadership Development Institute, or LDI, which has been on campus for many years, encourages students and teachers to incorporate service learning into their curriculums while at the same time making leadership workshops available for the education of future leaders.
The institute's original vision is based on the noble opinion that "community service and leadership are intertwined."
David E. Nantais, a '92 UDM grad, is the director of LDI. He succeeded John Daniels, the longtime director, who retired last school year.
Nantais has gone classroom to classroom doing presentations on the benefits of service learning while at the same time telling the captive and captivated a few things they might not know about the Detroit community. (Ex: Did you know that the geographical size of Detroit is greater than Boston, San Francisco and Manhattan combined, though the population is under a million?)
In past years, with grant money from the Kellogg Foundation, the institute offered a dozen workshops a semester. But with the grant money gone, the institute's emphasis is mostly on service learning, which differs from typical volunteer work because participants are expected to reflect afterward on what they got from the experience, said Nantais.
Students begin the experience by filling out a form that tries to gauge such qualities as empathy, listening skills and willingness to work for the benefit of others.
The same questions are asked again following the service hours and that, said Nantais, is when the real effect is noticed, when students show a greater desire to assist in the communities that surround them.
Nantais has given more than 25 presentations in classes this fall semester. But he leaves it up to each professor whether or not to make the learning experience mandatory.
"It is a great chance to grow ethically, socially, intellectually and spiritually," he said.
The Leadership Development Institute is located on the second floor of Briggs Building.
Nantais invites interested students to drop by and check out the opportunities.
That's why UDM has always dedicated itself to developing capable and understanding leaders for our communities.
The Leadership Development Institute, or LDI, which has been on campus for many years, encourages students and teachers to incorporate service learning into their curriculums while at the same time making leadership workshops available for the education of future leaders.
The institute's original vision is based on the noble opinion that "community service and leadership are intertwined."
David E. Nantais, a '92 UDM grad, is the director of LDI. He succeeded John Daniels, the longtime director, who retired last school year.
Nantais has gone classroom to classroom doing presentations on the benefits of service learning while at the same time telling the captive and captivated a few things they might not know about the Detroit community. (Ex: Did you know that the geographical size of Detroit is greater than Boston, San Francisco and Manhattan combined, though the population is under a million?)
In past years, with grant money from the Kellogg Foundation, the institute offered a dozen workshops a semester. But with the grant money gone, the institute's emphasis is mostly on service learning, which differs from typical volunteer work because participants are expected to reflect afterward on what they got from the experience, said Nantais.
Students begin the experience by filling out a form that tries to gauge such qualities as empathy, listening skills and willingness to work for the benefit of others.
The same questions are asked again following the service hours and that, said Nantais, is when the real effect is noticed, when students show a greater desire to assist in the communities that surround them.
Nantais has given more than 25 presentations in classes this fall semester. But he leaves it up to each professor whether or not to make the learning experience mandatory.
"It is a great chance to grow ethically, socially, intellectually and spiritually," he said.
The Leadership Development Institute is located on the second floor of Briggs Building.
Nantais invites interested students to drop by and check out the opportunities.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Dr. Alan Hoback
posted 11/04/09 @ 7:53 AM EST
Welcome Dave!
Post a Comment