COLLEGE STUDENTS AS CATALYSTS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: A CASE STUDY
by
Pamela Holsinger-Fuchs
Bachelor of Arts, Michigan State University, 1981
Master of Arts, Michigan State University, 1983
A Dissertation
Submitted to the Graduate Faculty
of the
University of North Dakota
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Grand Forks, North Dakota
June
2008
This dissertation, submitted by Pamela Holsinger-Fuchs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of North Dakota, has been read by the Faculty Advisory Committee under whom the work has been done and is hereby approved.
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Chairperson
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This dissertation meets the standards for appearance, conforms to the style and format requirements of the Graduate School of the University of North Dakota, and is hereby approved.
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Dean of the Graduate School
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Date
PERMISSION
Title: College Students as Catalysts for Social Change: A Case Study
Department: Educational Leadership
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of North Dakota, I agree that the library of this University shall make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for extensive copying for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my dissertation work or, in his absence, by the chairperson of the department or the dean of the Graduate School. It is understood that any copying or publication or other use of this dissertation or part thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of North Dakota in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES xii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi
ABSTRACT xiv
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION 1
Background of the Case Study 1
Research Questions 5
Statement of the Problem 5
Relevance of My Study 6
Definition of Terms 8
Researcher Perspective 9
Program Model 10
Summary 14
II. LITERATURE REVIEW 15
Historical Review of Social Movements 15
Lessons Learned 18
Change makers 20
Generational Characteristics 22
Civic Engagement 26
Organizational and Social Change Theories 29
Leadership Theories 33
Networked Knowledge Era 39
Family Influences 39
Self-Efficacy 40
Student Development 41
Summary 43
III. DESIGN OF THE STUDY 44
Case Study Methodology 45
Research Questions 46
Site and Participants 46
Data Collection 47
Documentation and Archival Records 48
Interviews 49
Direct Observations 50
Participant Observations 51
Data Management 52
Ethics 53
Validity 53
Data Analysis 55
Limitations of Study 59
Summary 60
IV. RESEARCH FINDINGS 61
Introduction 62
Motivation: The Vision and Dream 62
The Founders 66
Pete- Director of End Results 67
Mackenzie- Director of Lasting Impressions 69
Roy- Director of Dream Management 72
Nickers- Director of Finer Details 74
Make a Difference Tour 77
Preparation 77
Action 78
Reflection 78
Celebration 79
Individual qualities 80
Experiences and Influences 80
Parental Involvement: A Family Affair 83
Barriers 86
Educational Program Impact 88
Traits and Values 92
Distributed Leadership 92
Naïveté and Idealism 93
Commitment to Principles 94
Optimism 96
Altruism 97
Sacrifice 100
Giving and Philanthropy 103
Structural Issues 106
Collaborative Development and Design 106
Clear Purpose- SLP Goals 109
Goal to Change Stereotypes 109
Goal to Change Lives 110
Goal to Change the World 110
Networking 111
Organizational Components 114
Programmatic Elements 115
The Core Model 115
Leadership Models 122
Revealing Leadership 122
Mad Lib Leadership 124
Reentry Model 126
Customizable Mass Production 129
Challenging the Comfort Zone 131
Foundational Elements 133
Core values 133
Trust 134
Initiative 135
Passion 136
Support 137
Social Factors 140
Hierarchy 141
Board Dynamics 144
Feedback 148
Outcomes 150
Catalyst and Transformation 150
Relationships 153
Ownership 155
Empowerment 157
Leadership 160
Inclusiveness 162
Commitment to Service 164
Summary 166
V. Conclusions 169
Summation 169
Habits of Life of the Founders 172
Organizational Functions 173
Leadership Techniques 173
Business School Influences 174
Technology 174
Template Model 175
Customizable Mass Production 177
Political Involvement 178
Core Model 179
Feedback 180
Sustainability 181
Recommendations for Higher Education 186
Implications for Student Affairs 187
SLP Lessons for the classroom 188
The “It” of SLP 189
Future Research 195
Reflections: The Birth of a Student Movement 196
Appendices 199
References 206
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This dissertation has been the end of a journey that was not traveled alone. I wish to acknowledge those who traveled with me and those who supported me along the way. Thanks to Janet Cederberg and Dorothy Baumgartner for serving as my peer debriefers, spending time helping me figure out “the dance.” Thanks Janet for also experiencing the MAD tour and supporting the poison ivy outbreak! Thanks to Dr. Betsi Little for serving as a peer examiner and being excited about research. Thanks to Dr. Kim Gillette for input on data analysis. Thanks to the early crew who also offered proofing support-Ryan Owens, Amanda Hill and Janine Thull. Special thanks go to wordsmith Andrew Svec who offered his assistance. My undying gratitude to Teri Cain for your encouragement, support and proofing abilities in finishing this research. Thanks to the women at the 4:30 Coffee house in Chippewa Falls, WI who offered me a space to work, in what is often a solitary process.
To my cohorts in this educational adventure: Linda Rains, Marcia Walker, Eric Burgess and Norman Coley, Jr. Thanks for the Panda Buffet meals, the overnight accommodations, the prayers, encouragement and traveling this path with me! I am glad we did it together.
Thanks to my doctoral committee; especially Dr. Margaret Healy who always cared about me as a person first and a student second. To my chair, Dr. Marcus Weaver-Hightower, who had to put up with my many emails, questions and over zealous nature!
To the founders of SLP, you are an inspiration to me. I believe in you and your dreams, thanks for allowing me to be a part of your lives for the past year.
Praise to a God that is bigger than any of us and gives me faith and strength in my daily life.
Last, and most importantly—my family Tom, Gillian and Michaela who supported, encouraged, listened and believed in me through the years. Thanks for the sacrifices you have made to help me realize my dream. I love you with all my heart. This dissertation is dedicated to you--may you always keep your dreams alive and be a catalyst for change in this world.
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
1. Make a Difference map by all cities 4
2. Social change model of leadership 31
3. Themes, Domains and Assertion 58
4. Core Model 115
5. SLP Pyramid 141
6. SLP organic model 142
7. SLP organizational chart 143
8. Make a Difference Post-survey question 161
ABSTRACT
This qualitative research study is a single case study of one college student initiated student movement known as the Student Leadership Program (SLP) from the perspectives of the founders, board and committee members, former advisors, student participants and parents. To understand this initiative I asked the following questions: What motivated the student founders to create SLP? What barriers were encountered? What experiences and social factors help them to persist? What leadership characteristics did they each contribute? I also sought to understand the impact of the founders’ educational background on the questions, as well as the program model they have created.
The primary data were collected over a ten-month period. In addition I analyzed data acquired over a period of three years from when I was first introduced to SLP. The data were collected from multiple sources including 27 interviews (founders, board members, committee members, student participants, adult participants, organization advisors and parents), pre- and post-survey data from service bus trips, three observations, attendance at three development committee meetings, group manuals and numerous articles, newsletters and websites. The interview transcripts were coded with key words from which frequently occurring concepts developed. The codes and data were grouped into main categories. These categories were then used to develop the six major themes that emerged from the data analysis. First, the founders were shaped by individual experiences including strong familial influences. The SLP founders exhibited individual traits and values that included a high degree of selflessness. The founders are also, finally, committed to a common vision, clear purpose and goals. These first three themes all fall under the larger domain of individual qualities of the founders. The remaining themes fall under the larger domain of components of the organization. Programmatic elements are those created by and unique to SLP. The foundational elements are the internal and external factors that influence the operation of SLP. Numerous outcomes demonstrate the complexity of judging the “effectiveness” of SLP. My overall assertion is that the combination of the founders’ individual qualities and the organizational components has created a student organization that is part of a larger social movement of engagement of young people in society. The interaction between the founders and the organization has created the “it” of SLP, the somewhat intangible aspect of the group that is discussed in my conclusion. Results of this study suggest that the practices of SLP resonate with the millennial student population and seem to add to students’ feelings of empowerment as it relates to service, relationships and leadership development. Students involved in SLP are catalysts for social change in many different capacities.
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Case Study
It started in 2003 when four college freshmen met during their first week of orientation over ramen noodles to plan both a community service spring break trip and share their vision—to change the world. The four students--Roy from North Dakota, Mackenzie from California, Pete from northern Minnesota and Nickers from a small community in Minnesota--all lived in the same residence hall (all participants have been given pseudonyms to protect anonymity). The four were also all students in the same business school at a Big Ten University. Their idea: a community service road trip over spring break called the Make a Difference (MAD) Tour (MAD; a pseudonym). The organization they created came to be known as the Student Leadership Program (SLP; a pseudonym). Pete comments:
SLP was meant to be just [the structure] to plan this trip. Like for awhile we didn’t even want an organization: we just wanted to plan this trip. We were young and foolish, and we just thought we could plan this trip and not have anything official and not think about it, just go on a trip. We found a few people that had a common unified goal and vision…and then we wanted to create SLP as the organization…and right away we thought it would just be about the trip. After the trip is when we figured well there is a whole lot more to this. People were fired up and we wanted to do things year around. And it was not just about the nine days of the trip and making it part of our lives, and that is when we created SLP and everything else that goes with it.
The “everything else that goes with it” is part of the purpose of this research study. Much of what the students went through during their college career is reflected in this study. The leadership characteristics and experiences they had coming into and during college impacted the program model formation. The four students founded an organization that has grown from 43 individual participants going on a trip to a national organization with 3,056 total participants as of mid-2008, just five years later. The mission of the Student Leadership Program (SLP) is to reveal leadership through service, relationships, and action (SLP, 2007).
SLP has created a lot of national attention both from educational institutions, social entrepreneurs and popular media. Time magazine interviewed the Student Leadership Program for an article on “VolunTourism”, staff from The Tyra Banks Show called to inquire about the group and what they were doing, and a PhD student in Kinesiology is studying the group participants in relationship to wisdom. MSNBC just featured the group in a story on volunteerism. Three colleges are using the MAD trip as the lab portion of courses in business, education and an honors English program. Four alternative schools are working with SLP in service learning projects and a service trip. The group received a $25,000 grant from Social Venture Partners from a competitive applicant pool of 40 other organizations, many very well established in the field of service learning. Social Venture Partners is an entrepreneurial organization that leverages money from its members. The group was selected as the youngest to receive the Charities Review Council endorsement. MAD service trips for high school students from opposite parts of the country including Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, Idaho and Oregon have been held, and more interest is being generated daily. What is it about this group that has captured such interest?
SLP carries out much of its leadership development through the “Make a Difference Tours” (MAD). There are college, high school and middle school tours. There have been 78 MAD tours adding up to 38,500 hours of service. During the first few months of 2008 alone approximately 730 participants performed 14,700 hours of service, equivalent to the work a single person could accomplish over seven years. This is based on a 40 hour week for 52 weeks which equals 2,080 hours a year. On the MAD college tours each bus takes a different route conducting service projects along the way, eventually coming together as a large group in one of four celebration cities. Examples of service might be working at a Ronald McDonald house, assisting elders at a nursing home, or painting at a homeless shelter. The projects are planned in response to the needs of the communities being served.
Each college trip has an established “bus core” made up of student volunteers that meet to make decisions prior to the trip. This includes planning the route and the projects, housing, meals, and then acting as facilitators for the various leadership exercises, teambuilding activities and reflection that happens during the tour. Another leadership role is serving on the Celebration City Core (CCC). This is a leadership role for students who have already been bus core leaders and they plan the large group event and all of the logistics in the celebration city for the buses that end their tour there. Initially the trips all ended in Washington, D.C., with the growth of SLP other “Celebration Cities” now include: San Antonio, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and New Orleans, Louisiana. Figure 1 gives a visual image of the MAD tours and the cities impacted by the service. The concentric circles represent the celebration cities. The diamonds represent the various chapters. The numbers correspond with bus routes and year of college & high school MAD Tours--2004-1st year- stars, 2005-2nd year-stars (the same cites were visited), 2006-3rd year – number 3, 2007-4th year – number 4, 2008-5th year –number 5.