Jason Hunyh, Reporter
Michael Earhart, Editor
MOUNT BERRY – Seeking to respond to what some call “a crisis in leadership” throughout corporate America, especially in the area of ethics, Berry launched earlier this semester a leadership mentor program involving 50 student leaders from throughout campus.
These students have been placed in groups of five that are each led by a proven leader-mentor from Rome and Floyd County, a roster of mentors that includes Wright Bagby, former mayor of Rome and a local business owners; Willis Potts, former vice chair of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents; and Joel Snider, head pastor at First Baptist Church in Rome, among others.
The stated goal of the program is to cultivate and enlarge the moral and ethical leadership capacities of Berry’s students, according to the mission statement for the program.
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Brian Carroll, associate professor
of Communication and a member
of the mentor program steering
committee
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“The idea behind the small groups is to facilitate semester-long conversations and personal relationships that can become the contexts for students to grow in their leadership capacities,” said Brian Carroll, an associate professor of Communication and director of the Honors Program at Berry. He is a member of the mentor program steering committee, along with Debbie Heida, vice president of student affairs, and C. Buster Wright, a member of Berry’s board of trustees, who has been the driving force behind the mentor program.
The leadership mentor program is the first phase of what is hoped will become a center for integrity of public leadership at Berry, which, if it materializes, will offer courses, speaker series and a range of co- and extra-curricular programming and activities. The center is in the fundraising stage; no timeline has been set for launching the new center, Carroll said.
How it works
To lead their small groups, which meet once per month throughout the academic year, mentors were provided with resources on leadership and on facilitating small group discussion. However, each mentor has the freedom to guide their student groups as they see fit, Carroll said.
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Anna-Carson Rimer, Berry senior
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“My group has been discussing different ethical dilemmas, sometimes generated and some real dilemmas the mentor has experienced,” said Anna-Carson Rimer, a senior and a member of the Honors Program at Berry. Rimer is one of 10 Honors students participating in the pilot leadership program. There are also 10 Leadership Fellows included in the pilot.
The balance of 30 students came from faculty and staff nominations, which totaled more than 140, Carroll said. Faculty, staff and trustees interviewed the 140; those selected then had to complete an application.
Though the steering committee attempted to match students with leaders from their general fields of academic study, with 10 mentors, ideal matches were not always possible, Carroll said.
“I’m an animal science major with a pre-vet concentration, yet they paired me up with an accountant,” said Brianna Gibson, a junior at Berry and also a member of the Honors Program.
Though the program is in its infancy, students participating report good results.
“It’s a great opportunity because, one, we’re networking out into the community, learning from [the] movers and shakers of the community, and two, learning from people who have experience being a leader,” Rimer said. “There’s only so much you can learn from being a leader on campus.”
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Brianna Gibson, Berry junior
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The mentor program kicked off Sept. 26 and will run through April of 2014, when a ceremonial dinner at Berry will be held to commemorate the program’s first year.
“I’m excited for our students, obviously, but I’m also excited that we’re bringing into the Berry community some wonderful new voices and experiences and skill sets from the local community,” Carroll said. “I wish I were 20 or 21 so I could be in one of these small groups.
Joining Wright, Heida and Carroll on the proposed center’s planning committee are Tom Kennedy, dean of the Evans School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences; Rufus Massey, dean of student work; Cecily Crow, director of student activities; and Christy Snider, associate professor of history and chair of the history department.
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