Tony Brown - ELI Professor

Mentor and motivator

Tony Brown dashes into room 05 of the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy armed with stacks of handouts. It’s three weeks into the spring semester, and today students will present their project ideas as part of Brown’s “Enterprising Leadership” course.

“Remember,” says Brown, passing out hard copies of the proposals before the presentations begin, “Your project challenge is to define a promising idea and develop a compelling plan that addresses a real problem or opportunity. As you’re listening to these proposals, ask yourself whether the idea is something you could get excited about.”

One by one, the students stand in front of their peers and pitch endeavors they want to see implemented at Duke or in the local community -- a mentoring program between women faculty members and students, an initiative to decrease the stigma of metal illness among undergraduates, a plan to help strengthen the academic achievement of black males at a Durham high school.

Before the class reconvenes two days later, each participant emails their preferences to Brown, who assigns teams of students to the top-ranked projects. By semester’s end, the teams will have identified key stakeholders, conducted market analysis to assess the project’s feasibility and sustainability, sought collaborative opportunities with individuals and existing organizations, and prepared a business plan. They will also learn the importance of effective teamwork, the inevitability of setbacks and disappointment, and the art of marshaling financial resources.

To guarantee that students are “motivated to be fully engaged in their project as social change agents,” Brown requires applicants to respond to a series of questions and be interviewed by him personally. Brown explains that the organizational focus for the course is on enterprises that combine a social mission with commercial strategies. Consequentially, ethics, citizenship and public policy are important course themes.

In addition to “Enterprising Leadership,” Brown also teaches a senior course, “Leadership, Development and Organizations.” Both courses are part of the Hart Leadership Program. Brown, a professor of the practice in public policy studies and sociology, also teaches in the university’s Markets and Management Studies certificate program.

Brown has devised a leadership development formula that works. A glimpse at the projects that have emerged from Tony’s classes includes some of the highest visibility – and most highly effective – student-launched projects at the university:

· F.I.E.L.D.S. - Fund Raising Initiatives and Enterprising Leadership for Durham Sports
A student-run program launched in 2000 to equip and coach downtown Durham Little League teams and renovate a rundown baseball field. Results to date include a $15,000 grant from the Major League Baseball Players Association in 2001 for new uniforms and equipment. An additional $265,000 in gifts and grants have been raised to fund a field renovation and construction project. Students participate on the board of the Durham Bulls Youth Athletic League and are involved in a student-coaching program for seven youth soccer and basketball league teams.

· The Center for Race Relations
A student-run organization at Duke University with a mission to foster greater racial understanding and provide an outlet for racial dialogue. The Center, housed in the Multi-Cultural Center, was funded and launched in 2002, and offers programming in three areas: Dialogues on Race Relations, house courses, and Common Ground, a student-led leadership retreat dedicated to empowering students to “become actively open-minded and aware members of the Duke community.”

· The Duke University Greening Initiative
A student-run organization that is playing a catalytic leadership role in advocating and coordinating environmental sustainability initiatives at Duke University. More than $61,000 has been raised for DUGI projects. DUGI has been fully endorsed by senior Duke administrators and involves both undergraduate and graduate students. Activities include the development of a first of its kind Environmental Management System for the University and Health System, a $50,000 grant fund to stimulate innovative projects on campus, a sustainable studies certificate program for undergraduate and graduate students, a Distinguished Speaker Series with world-renowned experts, and the incorporation of LEED in all new and renovated buildings at Duke.

· The Durham Giving Project
A student-created and instructed house course that focuses on the philosophy of giving, the process of grant making, and four social justice issues that affect Durham: affordable housing, at-risk youth, health care and education. The initial house course was held in spring 2003. The founders and fourteen other students raised $10,000, which was granted to ten local nonprofit organizations. The program is now in its second year.

“Tony Brown brings incredible passion and energy to the classroom and the entire learning process,” says Duke junior Justin Segall, founder and co-president of DUGI . “His class and subsequent mentorship has changed my life, while teaching me more real world skills than anyone or any other program possibly could.”

Hart Leadership Program director Alma Blount notes that Brown’s dedication to his students’ intellectual development distinguish him from the limited-office-hours, closed-door approach of faculty members for whom research takes precedence over teaching. “Tony really cares about the lives of his students. He’s an incredible mentor; that’s why so many of his former students stay in close touch with him.”

Brown uses email and electronic surveys to maintain ongoing conversations with his alumni, and often shares their post-Duke experiences in the workforce with his current students. An end-of-fall-semester class discussion included the personal reflections of recent graduates who are trying to maintain a sense of civic engagement while balancing work demands and social obligations.

“It’s a theme that I hear from many of my former students,” Brown tells the class. “How do you maintain a clarity of vision when what you care about is not high on someone else’s priority list? How do you engage people who are very busy? How do you get them to care about your agenda?”

In 2000, Brown launched the Enterprising Leadership Incubator (ELI), which serves as an umbrella for all the projects generated in class, as well as extra-curricular projects that are a continuation of projects initiated in class. While the class requires students to move from an inspiring idea to a persuasive plan to engaging stakeholders, the Incubator supports the projects through the various phases of implementation and sustainability. ELI complements the Hart Leadership Program's emphasis on integrating academic coursework, experiential learning, and close mentoring.
Brown says his goal for his students’ educational outcomes includes understanding social entrepreneurship and the process of social innovation. Students are challenged to step out of their comfort zones and engage in difficult activities that develop their social entrepreneurship knowledge and skills. “I believe that it is essential for students to explore their own values, perspectives and competencies so that they can begin to see themselves as ‘change agents.’ ”