Program seats Penn State Law students on nonprofit boards

Penn State Law students are lending input on nonprofit boards. Credit: Cara StaffordAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – An innovative program now in its second year at Penn State Law provides students with a unique avenue for developing their leadership skills while they serve in their local community. Leading Law Students, which started last year at the suggestion of a current Penn State Dickinson School of Law student, places select law students on the boards of directors of local nonprofit organizations.

“The program was envisioned as a way to encourage our students to begin thinking about how, as future attorneys, they can give back to their communities and start interacting with community members who could be their future clients,” said Neil Sirota, assistant dean of Career Services at Penn State Law. “The reaction from our students and the local community has been tremendously positive. Our students are honing their leadership skills, expanding their professional networks, and helping to create new connections between the law school and the local community.”

Penn State Law students currently serve as nonvoting members on the boards of Community Help Centre (CHC), Housing Transitions Inc. and New Leaf 2.0, and on the local boards of Meals on Wheels, the United Way and the YMCA.

Third-year student Jeffrey Gdovin and second-year student James Edward are members of the board of CHC, an organization that provides services, resources, education, training and information to people who are in need of support in the State College area. The organization operates a drop-in center and a 24-hour hotline, and works to coordinate and deliver human services throughout Centre County.

Gdovin, who has been with the Community Help Center since February, has found benefit in seeing firsthand how nonprofits are managed.

“I have noticed how connected within the community each board member is,” he said. “It is very inspiring to see these individuals so committed to the community they live in, even though they are all very busy with their outside lives.”

While the students don’t hold voting power as board members, they otherwise participate fully in board meetings and provide insight that is valuable to their organization.

“Even though I am not a voting member, it’s clear that the board and the rest of the organization value my input and opinions,” he said. “I’ve been paired with a great organization and at every board meeting I have the opportunity to have a positive impact on the service it provides to the community.”

For Edward, the program has helped cement his personal dedication to serving the community in which he lives.

“It is important to me to give back to the community in a meaningful way,” he said. “I plan to continue to work with nonprofit organizations in some way throughout my entire career.”

According to Sirota, this is precisely what makes the program a success.

“Not only are our students contributing to the greater good, but they are gaining experiences that will stay with them through their entire careers,” he said. “And they are developing a sense of service that will benefit their communities wherever they end up working and living.”

In the future, Sirota hopes to expand the program to include more nonprofit organizations and eventually place students on the boards of public companies. 

Last Updated July 22, 2015