Share
GLE Professor Keynote Speaker at Northern Caribbean University
November 12, 2008
Dr. Patterson with Dr. Herbert J. Thompson, NCU president and Dr. Elsie Jackson, NCU Ph.D. program director
School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship (GLE) Associate Professor Dr. Kathleen Patterson's zeal for the study and teaching of servant leadership, noted in her years of research and her annual Servant Leadership Roundtables, has now spread to the Caribbean where she gave the keynote address to doctoral students at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) in the mountains of Mandeville, Jamaica.
More than 80 leadership students from Jamaica and the surrounding islands participated in the doctoral residency, which focused on servant leadership—Patterson's specialty.
"The students are incredible, they have hungry hearts to serve their country, to serve where they're at, and the people are really going to do some incredible things for Jamaica and for the world as well," said Patterson.
NCU, a Seventh Day Adventist university, was founded in 1907 and is one of the oldest universities on the island of Jamaica.
"Servant leadership resonated with their Christian philosophy," explained Patterson, and, although many Jamaicans follow an authoritarian leadership model, the students "were able to engage the servant leadership concepts and wrestle with what that would look like in a Jamaican context."
Through this experience, Patterson believes a true understanding of leadership theory resulted. "I honestly believe that these students were inspired to serve their country and to serve their fellow man."
Future relations between GLE and the NCU doctoral leadership program will continue through on-going dialogue and GLE's sponsorship of two to three NCU doctoral students at the next roundtables event at Regent University in May 2009.
PR/NEWS CONTACT: Judy Baker
Public Relations
Phone: 757.352.4307 Fax: 757.352.4888
E-mail: judibak@regent.edu
