College Students As Catalysts for Social Change: a Case Study

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.

______

Chairperson

______

______

______

______

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.

ii

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.