Do Right, Do Good, Do Well: Seeing the Bigger Picture of Mississippi State Universitys Day One Leadership Program

Abstract

Mississippi State University's Day One Leadership Program assists freshmen in transitioning to college through a rather unique and innovative approach. The Day One Program is designed to maximize the students' talents and abilities through team-based, student-led service learning projects. Students are partnered with a designated Community Partner (CP) during their first semester. The Day One credo is “do right, do good, do well.” This leadership opportunity exposes students to leaders of varying sectors, including but not limited to, business, community/economic development, politics, and nonprofits. At a time where bureaucrat and government bashing seem to be at its highest; at a time where there is great struggle in recruiting and training the nation’s best and brightest students, the Day One program makes a valiant effort to introduce students, from her or his first day on campus, to the other side of public service. It becomes status quo to discuss the failures of government and public administration, but it is a completely different undertaking when we take students and assign them to work in the very sector they have heard nothing but negative stories about. As such, students are soon placed in a position to question, investigate, and explore accepted “facts” and “truths.” In keeping with the University's mission, Day One is committed to instilling ideals of diversity, citizenship, and service. Over the course of this analysis, we will investigate the program's effectiveness in equipping today's young leaders for today and the future.