NIU’s Center for NGO Leadership and Development, or NGOLD, will host an open house from noon to 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, in Room 114 of Zulauf Hall.
Coinciding with the open house will be a special information session on the new Community Leadership and Civic Engagement (CLCE) major. The session will be held from 2 to 2:45 p.m. in Room 103 of Reavis Hall.
The CLCE degree program — one of the few of its kind nationwide — will provide training to students who will lead, work for and collaborate with NGOs, also known as nonprofit organizations. Within the major, emphases will be offered in advocacy, enterprise, the environment, global engagement and the arts and humanities.
“There’s a lot of interest on campus in the new major, and we’re hoping students will visit the open house and information session to learn more about potential careers in this exciting field,” said professor Judith Hermanson, director of NGOLD.
The colleges of Business and Liberal Arts and Sciences led the development of NGOLD, which was launched last year to oversee the CLCE major and to facilitate faculty and student research.
Hermanson said the degree will appeal to students “who want to make a difference” through careers in the non-profit, government and business sectors.
Community leadership and civic engagement courses will be taught by faculty from the NGOLD Center and a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, economics and NIU’s nationally ranked business and public administration programs.
The major will include a strong hands-on learning component. Hermanson said a CLCE service learning class has already been successfully piloted. It requires students to work with area nonprofit organizations to develop solutions to real-world challenges.
NIU students in the course this semester are working with Elwood House, Tails Humane Society, Hope Haven, 4-C , AdventureWorks, Family Services Agency and the NIU Foundation.
For more information on NGOLD and the CLCE major, call (815) 753-4410 or visit the center online.
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