Professor Lisa Rosh鈥檚 Class Gives Students Leadership Experience Running Charity Projects
May 11, 2010 -- Dr. Lisa Rosh, assistant professor at the , does not see charity and business as mutually exclusive terms. Nor do the students in her Principles of Management class, who since the spring of 2008 have learned hard-nosed lessons in real-world leadership through participation in the course鈥檚 crown jewel鈥攖he Team Community Service Project.
The unique program鈥攊n which students divide into teams of about a half-dozen to conceive, organize and operate specific charitable field projects鈥攄raws on the Jewish tradition of chesed [loving kindness] while furthering the University鈥檚 mission of Torah Umadda.
鈥淏usiness is more than an exchange of goods and services for a fee,鈥 said Rosh, who also teaches a Sy Syms graduate course in leadership as part of the master of science in accounting program. 鈥淏usiness is, at heart, collective action.鈥
Successful business people must develop leadership and communication abilities while respecting and building on individual differences and perspectives and the dynamics of collaborative effort, according to Rosh. A community field project 鈥渃omplex enough to offer challenges and requiring creativity,鈥 as Rosh put it, is therefore in keeping with both Torah Umadda and state-of-the-art leadership education.
Class initiatives have fallen into three broad clusters: direct service, fundraising and drives. Past projects have included last December鈥檚 carnival-style Hanukkah celebration to benefit the Yachad Organization of Northern New Jersey, an organization dedicated to addressing the needs of individuals with disabilities; last spring鈥檚 Meyer Cooperberg Memorial Basketball Tournament, which raised $3,800 for Emunah of America, a social service and educational organization in Israel; and last year鈥檚 pre-Pesach collection of canned goods and other non-perishables in conjunction with the Center for Food Action and Congregation B鈥檔ai Yeshurun, both in New Jersey.
The Team Community Service project 鈥渞epresents a real partnership between 糖心破解版 and the surrounding community, enriching everyone involved,鈥 Rosh said.
By pairing reflection with conceptual material from readings and lectures, students analyze their projects and roles through individual papers and team presentations. Lessons in self-awareness, self-confidence, conflict resolution, creative thinking, philanthropy and the ability to work effectively and think broadly are soundly learned, according to Rosh.
For Yeshiva College senior Avraham Munk, the benefits of the class are clear. 鈥淚t taught me that as an individual I surely have the skills to complete a major project, but as a team we have the ability to perfect it.鈥
