Participants in ETSU’s Leadership House are taking the journey to becoming servant-leaders.
Leadership House is a leadership education program that ETSU began last fall and it is one of three universities in the country that offers the program to its students. The other participating schools are Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., and the University of South Florida in Tampa.
The philosophy of Leadership House, a living-learning community, is “leadership is a developmental process.” Students learn leadership through service to and with others.
The servant-leadership model of leadership was developed by the late Robert Greenleaf, an internationally known business leader and educator. The 10 characteristics of servant-leadership are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people and building community.
Dr. Deborah White, assistant vice president for student life and leadership, said leadership is not an elitist activity; it is a relationship.
“Everyone must take a leadership role in some facet of life,” White said.
Eighteen students currently participate in Leadership House. Those participants, male and female, live in designated rooms in the Buccaneer Ridge apartments. Each serves on committees that govern the activities and outreach projects of the house.
Those activities include serving breakfast to the homeless at the Melting Pot in downtown Johnson City and working as volunteers with children in the after-school centers of the Johnson City Housing Authority.
The students are coached by White and Virloy Lewin, a doctoral fellow in the department of educational leadership and policy analysis.
Lewin said she is a facilitator who helps students bring their plans to fruition. “The program helps me use some of the leadership skills I learned in the educational leadership and policy analysis program,” Lewin said.
White said she and Lewin act in an advisory capacity since one goal of the program is to have participants learn that leadership comes from assuming responsibility. Students are ultimately responsible for “guiding their own learning processes.”
Leadership House applications for the 2001- 2002 academic year are currently being accepted. The first round of selections was made at the end of March. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.
White said the goal for fall semester is to have 32 students in the program. Leadership House participants were concerned that more than 32 students would dissolve the bond the students felt.
White said those selected for Leadership House come from all academic disciplines. Applicants are analyzed in part on that person’s desire to be part of a learning community. Part of the application process involves writing an essay about a leader he or she admires, and what characteristics make that leader the person they are.
Elizabeth Johnston, 18, a Leadership House participant, said she was involved in community service in high school. Leadership House has enabled her to continue in the service and leadership roles she loves.
She volunteers with the Johnson City Housing Authority in the computer lab, and sometimes volunteers by spendingtime with a child.
“Sometimes they just want someone to paint a picture with,” Johnston said.
She said one of the frustrations of being a servant-leader is students don’t always want to work as hard as she does, but learning to deal with those differences and issues is what participation in the program requires.
Johnston said she has learned she has to encourage, and sometimes give-in and that she “can’t be a stand-out leader all the time.”
This living-learning experience has sharpened her career goals as well.
“I want to go into a career that doesn’t hurt or exploit anybody,” Johnston said.
For more information, call 439-5675.

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