Jepson School of Leadership Studies Launches New Web Site for Keck Initiative
May 5, 2006
University of Richmond now offers an online resource for its Keck Initiative on Leadership and the Liberal Arts at http://keck.richmond.edu/. The Web site serves to augment the collaboration among Claremont McKenna College, Loyola Marymount College and University of Richmond. The three institutions are on the vanguard of integrating leadership studies across the liberal arts curriculum and seek to engage other colleges in the endeavor.
"The Web site is a way to connect scholars nationwide to ideas and courses that Keck fellows are creating in this pilot program," said Kenneth P. Ruscio, dean of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at Richmond, where the project is housed.
The site will serve as a clearinghouse for updates about the initiative, conference proceedings and agendas, biographies and contact information for fellows, as well as resources such as syllabi and essays supporting development of interdisciplinary courses. A wiki—a technical application that allows content to be added or edited—is open only to fellows who wish to interact with each other, privately sharing ideas and information about their courses. With that exception, the site is open to any interested user.
"We hope to assist other colleges interested in incorporating courses or elements of the curriculum in their own programs," according to Elizabeth Harvard, who administers the project at Richmond.
In 2005 the W. M. Keck Foundation awarded a three-year grant to the Jepson School to manage the partnership, integrating topics of responsible leadership across liberal arts disciplines. Interdisciplinary, team-taught courses, undergraduate student research, workshops and a volume of essays will provide a range of resources for other liberal arts colleges interested in the intersection of leadership and the liberal arts.
For further information, contact Elizabeth Harvard, special assistant to the dean for external affairs, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond, at (804) 287-1960 or eharvard@richmond.edu.
About the W.M. Keck Foundation
Based in Los Angeles, the W.M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 by the late W.M. Keck, founder of the Superior Oil Company. The foundation's grant making is focused primarily on pioneering efforts in the areas of medical research, science and engineering. The foundation also maintains a Southern California grant program that provides support in the areas of civic and community services with a special emphasis on children and youth.