Servant Leadership

The mission of the Cowan-Turner Servant Leadership Program is to promote the understanding and practice of servant leadership at Georgia Tech. Our programs and activities make a positive contribution to creating a culture that reflects the principles of servant leadership.

About the Program

The Servant Leadership Program at Georgia Tech began in 1999 with the establishment of the William B. Turner Chair in Servant Leadership (funded by the Bradley-Turner Foundation). It is currently directed by Dr. Robert Thomas, who works in conjunction with the program's advisory board consisting of Joel Cowan, Blake Patton, Alex Gregory, Terry Blum, Claire Christopher, Marissa Pittard, and Jack Turner.

Background

Robert Greenleaf believed that the key to creating a more just, caring and sustainable society was to raise the performance of our institutions as servants. He felt that our business, academic, governmental, and faith-based organizations could be a place where people grow as individuals, where they become healthier, wiser, freer and more autonomous.

The Cowan-Turner Servant Leadership Program was created to promote the understanding and practice of Greenleaf's servant leadership at Georgia Tech. We do this by offering courses in servant leadership and social entrepreneurship, developing programs that help students understand how to lead as a servant leader, designing and delivering workshops and programs for faculty interested in enhancing their abilities to influence others, and supporting student organizations interested in learning how they can integrate the philosophy of servant leadership into their personal and professional lives.

Programs and Activities

• Scheller College of Business courses:
  • MGT 4193 - Servant Leadership, Values, and Systems
  • MGT 4194 - Social Entrepreneurship

• Leadership for Social Good: A summer program in Central and Eastern Europe
• Leadership Roundtable: Leadership development for faculty and staff
• Impact Speakers Series: Special program highlighting leaders that have used the philosophy of servant leadership in their personal and professional lives
• Providing advice and support to:
  • Alpha Kappa Psi
  • Excel Program 
  • Freshman Servant Leadership Organization
  • ODK
  • Stamps Scholar's Program

Overall Goals

1. Create learning modules on servant leadership for Leadership/Management/Teambuilding courses at Georgia Tech and other institutions of higher education.
2. Partner with Georgia Tech academic and administrative units to develop programs and activities that encourage behaviors and policies that reflect the principles of servant leadership.
3. Provide guidance and support to student organizations engaged in leadership development (Special efforts are taken to attract and inform students from the Columbus area).
4. Develop program(s) for students to provide them with a solid understanding of servant leadership and how to integrate this philosophy into their personal and professional lives. In this process, we encourage students to disseminate this knowledge to other students and student organizations.
5. Encourage and support scholarly activities within Georgia Tech and other institutions of higher education on servant leadership. Ensure the sustainability of the Cowan-Turner Servant Leadership Program regarding:
6. • Leadership
   • Administration
   • Organizational Structure
   • Academia
   • Finance