Beautiful Gardens - Outreach & International Affairs - Virginia Tech

" WE U UALLY THINK IN TERMSOF A U IVERSITY TEACHING TH ECOMMUNITY, BUT WE'VE FLIPPEDT HE EQ1JATION. STUDENTSLEARN FROM THE COMMUNITYWHILE THEY ARE GiViNG BACKTHROUGH ERVIC E.~~PERRY MARTINService-Learning Center Assistant DirectorHometown Industries' involvement also provides lessonsin compassion. The realization that people depend on thevolunteer efforts of Virginia Tech students for food or furniturecauses a paradigm shift."We usually think in terms of a university teaching the community,but we've flipped the equation," Martin explains. He likesto choose projects that show community spirit and that willbenefit a whole community. "Students learn from the communitywhille they are giving back through service." Hometown Industriesstudents have been able to see how farmers, artists,and youths, among others, contribute to their communities.The Service-Learning Center's director, Michele James-Deramo,stresses the educational, value of students' work. "HometownIndustries helps students to discover that Appalachiancommunities are not problems requiring intervention. Rather,they are places of strength, vision. and vitality. The studentsare broadened both in their understanding of other communitiesand in their grasp of what organized groups can do toaddress major issues."FACULTY VlrWPOlNTamplin College of Business Professor Rich Wokutch'sEthical Dimensions of Leadership graduate course hasincorporated service-learning for more than a decade."One of the things we emphasize in the Pamplin M.B.A.program is the concept of 'servant-'Ieadership' -the leader'srole is to serve," Wokutch says. "Hometown Industries is agreat place for students to develop their servant-leadershipskills. There are management principles that transcendorganizational type - leadership, teamwork, ethical decisionmaking- and that will have applicability no matter what typeof organization you're working for. Volunteer activities areincreasing ~ly emphasized within industry.""Perry Martin is such an enthusiastic person that it is contagious,"Wokutcll says. "He coordinates with a lot of otherorganizations to place students in ways that meet their skillsand interests. We have had students wind up getting jobs thatdeveloped from their service project. Most students really appreciatethe opportunity."Pamplin's undergraduate management majors also take a,required course on ethical leadership that includes servicelearning.Susan Staley Stoll (management, '06), who is nowworking for the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, says,"This 'is a unique opportunity that Virginia Tech provides tostudents. allowing them to really connect to those aroundthem. It gives future business leaders a good appreciation ofour state and our area and the groups that are helping peoplesUcceed . It gave me a new, very grounded outll ook and mademe a better, better-rounded person when I graduated."Tech students help builda stone wall ill Grundy Va ••and sor food at theSecond Harvest Food Bank nSalem. Va.Outreach NDW 22Charles Hammond