Students from the Makerere University Business School visited Des Moines at the beginning of February to participate in leadership development. Photo courtesy of Harry Dalstra.
Drake University’s website states that their mission is to provide a learning environment that educates students to become responsible global citizens. In recent weeks, the University has tried to follow through on that promise through a particular international partnership.
From Jan. 31 to Feb. 12, Drake hosted four students from the Makerere University Business School in Uganda. While they were here, the students participated in various leadership and cultural activities alongside Drake’s Global Leaders Corps, a cohort of first-year students given the opportunity to engage with various global experiences.
“The world is not just Drake,” said Harry Dalstra, Global Leaders Corps member. “I think it’s important that [Drake] have programs like this to help people from the rest of the world see a tiny piece of the states, and for people in the states to see a tiny piece of the rest of the world. ”
The students attended 10 academic sessions on a variety of topics, hosted by a multitude of professors at Drake. These topics included effective leadership, corporate skills and globalization and business.
The trip wasn’t all work, of course. While in Des Moines, the visiting students had a packed social schedule. Outside of formal classes, they traveled to the Blank Park Zoo, Des Moines Art Center and Greater Des Moines Botanical Gardens and cheered on the Drake women’s basketball team.
To engage in the community, the students volunteered at Prairie Meadows Hydroponic Farm, which provides fresh produce to Meals on Wheels. They also attended a dinner with members from One Voice DSM, a non-profit organization composed of African community members that promotes collaboration for individuals of a shared culture.
“It was a great chance to engage with people from their cultures who are now living in the Des Moines area and learn about what they do to support their community,” said Lance Noe, director of the center for professional studies in the Zimpleman College of Business.
Noe took the students to the State Capitol to see the Iowa government in action.
“The legislature was in session, [and] there were some non-violent protests going on there,” Noe said. “[The Makerere students] got to see the actual legislators do their work, and they got to see the public then participating in speaking out and demonstrating to support their positions.”
Before leaving Des Moines, the visiting students wrapped up the trip by giving presentations about what they had learned. Some of the important lessons they shared included the value of servant leadership and how to give back to the community.
“Finding that balance of being able to financially prosper but also be able to provide something that your community needs, a lot of [the students] never really saw business as a way to make change,” said Jorona Johnson, an international student adviser at Drake. “I think a lot of them were very used to seeing leadership in one specific style, and so the concept that leaders can differ was very impactful.”
Johnson worked with the students and assisted with administrative and logistical planning before the Ugandan cohort arrived.
Students from Global Leaders Corps., a cohort of first-year students who have a passion for global learning, service and leadership, participated in various sessions and cultural activities with the Ugandan students. Together, the students built relationships and discussed various aspects of life, such as the meaning of their names and their favorite foods.
“Every time I interact with somebody from a different culture, it makes me have appreciation for my own,” said Emilia Broich, Global Leaders Corps. member. “I am so grateful that I get to go to school in Des Moines and have experience where I meet students from Uganda, but then I can drive 15 minutes and go home and be in a different environment.”
These interactions highlight the role of Drake beyond campus borders and the value of a global mindset for Noe.
“The world is becoming more globalized,” Noe said. “It is important for students to have an actual experience with another culture, so you can overcome anxieties and engage with others, and this is one of those opportunities at Drake.”