[496] MTSU’s LEADERSHIP STUDIES MINOR EARNS ALE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

MTSU’s LEADERSHIP STUDIES MINOR EARNS ALE AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE
Program’s Creator Says Still-Developing Program Has Graduated 50 Thus Far

(MURFREESBORO)—The MTSU Leadership Studies Program has been named as the 2009 Outstanding Leadership Program by the Association of Leadership Educators Inc.
Known as ALE, the organization’s representatives will present the award to Dr. Deana Meadows Raffo on July 15 at its annual conference in Providence, R.I., where the MTSU program, which is a 17-credit, interdisciplinary minor offered to students, will be formally recognized for excellence.
The award was designed to recognize outstanding leadership programs developed or implemented by ALE members. Past recipients of the honor have included leadership majors, leadership minors, certificate programs, leadership workshops or programs, youth-development programs and adult-leadership development programs.
An assistant professor of speech and theatre, Raffo said the MTSU Leadership Studies Program “is completing its fifth year, so I feel that the award is an indication that we have a firm foundation in place and are ready for the second phase of development with additional course offerings beyond the core courses.”
To qualify for the ALE honor, award nominees must be ALE members in good standing, have never received the award previously and must have data that substantiates a program’s impact on individuals, organizations, institutions or communities.
Regarding the creation of the now-award-winning MTSU minor program, “I initiated the program (and) was the principal architect in program design … and advise all of the students,” Raffo shared. “However, since it is an interdisciplinary minor, I have not been alone in the (program’s) development.”
MTSU faculty who have assisted Raffo in building the program by serving on its development committee include Drs. Ron Kates (English), David Foote (management), Janet McCormick (speech and theatre), Cliff Ricketts (agribusiness and agriscience), Terry Whiteside (psychology) and Professor Greg Simerly (speech and theatre).
As of May, the campus-based program has graduated 50 students, Raffo noted.
For more information on the leadership program, please visit http://www.mtsu.edu/leadershipstudies.
To learn more about ALE, please access http://www.leadershipeducators.org.


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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request interviews with Dr. Raffo or other members of the leadership program’s committee, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at lrollins@mtsu.edu