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Welcome Back, Miami!

The Wilks Institute for Leadership and Service is excited to be back! Wilks is Miami University's center for leadership education, civic engagement, and service learning. Through collaboration with community partners, student leaders, faculty, and staff, The Wilks Institute develops engaged leaders focused on ethical leadership and advancing community priorities.

How to Help in the Hurricane Relief Effort After Ida


With the news about the damage in Louisiana, Mississipi, and Alabama from Hurricane Ida this week, you may be thinking how you or your organization can support the relief effort. Please keep the following in mind.
How you can help in the hurricane relief effort. Do This: Donate Money, Research what is needed, trust the professional Relief Efforts. Not This: Donate items, send gifts or cards, Try to volunteer with clean up or rescue
A group of student participants in U-lead gather on the steps in front of a brick building

U-Lead Was a Success!

Last week, 52 first year students and 10 upperclassmen facilitators participated in U-Lead 2021! Participants gained confidence in their own leadership style, developed their leadership skills, and made friends along the way! 

Love and Honor Story Project

Do you know someone who demonstrates extraordinary care for their community?

The Love and Honor Story Project celebrates students who make a positive impact on campus! Nominate them to be recognized on the Dean of Students' website!

What's New? 

Wilks has been working hard this summer to freshen up our programming and enhance both our new and signature content. Check out the new opportunities below.
Student working with kids in a community garden.

Leadership and Service Certificate

The Wilks Institute Leadership and Service Certificate (LSC) program challenges students to examine leadership from diverse perspectives and encourages reflection into their own leadership skills, values, and beliefs. The Wilks LSC is:
  • Self-paced
  • Designed to allow students to explore areas of leadership that are unique to them
  • A collaboration with community and campus partners and student leaders

ComMUnity Connect

Tracking Volunteer Hours

ComMUnity Connect is Miami University’s new tool for the promotion, management, and tracking of volunteer opportunities in our region.
Starting Fall 2021, all individual, student org, and chapter volunteer hours will need to be logged on ComMUnity Connect.
We believe this new tool will increase levels of community engagement in Southwest Ohio and provide us with a more accurate picture of how we are impacting our communities together as nonprofits and educational institutions.
ALL Miami staff, students, and faculty are able to log in using their Miami login information.
ComMUnity Connect

Interfaith Campus and Community Engagement

Through the generous support of the Ford Family Initiative on Spirituality, Meaning, and Purpose, the Wilks Institute is able to support the Miami campus and local community’s interfaith initiatives.

Ford Family Mini Grants  

Student Orgs and community partners are able to request funding, in the form of mini-grants, for projects that promote engagement across lines of religious difference. Projects will focus on:
  • Service
  • Social Justice
  • Spiritual growth
  • Acceptance
  • Dialogue between individuals of ALL (or no) faith
To request a mini grant application, or learn more about interfaith opportunities at Miami, please email WilksLeadership@MiamiOH.edu

Miami Strengths Project

One critical component of being a leader is understanding your values, how you communicate, how you partner with others, your passions, and your strengths and areas for improvement. The Clifton Strengths for Students online assessment is one useful tool to help you better understand your areas of talent that can turn into strengths. To learn more about how Clifton Strengths for Students can help you develop as a leader, please visit the please visit CliftonStrengths for Students.

Request Strengths Coaching 

  • Workshops: Workshops are intended to build teamwork and educate each other on what each member brings to the group with similar goals or purpose.
  • One-on-One: Our CliftonStrengths One-on-One Coaching Sessions are designed to assist you in understanding your themes, applying these natural talents, and setting goals for your future.
To request coaching for your Student Life office, student organization, or yourself, please email WilksLeadership@MiamiOH.edu

Leadership Opportunities Around Campus

To have an opportunity shared through the Wilks Newsbeat, please send your information and a picture to WilksLeadership@MiamiOH.edu by the 20th of the month.
Get Involved!
Student with service dog
Service Org Collaborative
The Wilks Institute and Student Activities are working together to create a collaborative of student organizations focused on community engagement, volunteerism, service, and social impact. 
If your organization would like to join this collaborative, please email us at: WilksLeadership@MiamiOH.edu 
Students walking together wrapped in a Miami flag
META Student Org
META stands for Multi-faith Engagement for Transformative Action. META is a unifying network of student leaders at Miami University with many different perspectives on faith, religion, spirituality, secularism, meaning, and purpose.
To request a mini grant application, or learn more about interfaith opportunities at Miami, please email: 
WilksLeadership@MiamiOH.edu 

Democracy and Voting stickers.
RedHawks Count
RedHawks Count is dedicated to civic engagement and nonpartisan action on Miami University’s campus. Members are invited to participate in planning events and opportunities, volunteering for voter registration drives and social media campaigns.
Follow @RedHawksCount on Instagram
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