The Leadership Institute at Franciscan University

The Leadership Institute at Franciscan University forms highly skilled Catholic leaders to be witnesses of truth, reason, and virtue in the marketplace, in the Church, and in the broader culture. God calls each person to identify and pursue his or her special talents with passion and then to embrace leadership roles in science, technology, business, nursing, education, or other career fields, as well as in family life, religious life, the priesthood, or Church ministry. The Leadership Institute helps you answer that call by forming you in leadership craft illuminated by Franciscan virtues and Catholic social teaching.

The Leadership Institute also complements and enhances the work of Franciscan’s Center for Leadership, a separate, four-year program organized around weekly seminars and on-campus student leadership roles that provides leadership training for a select group of undergraduates.

Leadership Institute Initiatives

The Leadership Institute inspires students, faculty, staff, and friends of Franciscan University to serve as authentic, joyful, Catholic leaders in their chosen professions and vocations through:

  • An executive leadership speaker series featuring extraordinary servant leaders who share their insights with tomorrow’s leaders.
  • New academic programming and research in leadership craft, entrepreneurship, and the dignity of the worker.
  • Forums to help business executives develop leadership skills and effectiveness grounded in Catholic teaching and Christian virtues.
  • Special topic courses taught by distinguished visiting faculty and fellows.
  • An Entrepreneurship Minor Program (launching fall 2022) to address the growing interest and needs of students who seek to start their own businesses, non-profits, and social entrepreneurship ventures.
Important News about the Leadership Institute

Learn more about the new and exciting ventures happening at the Leadership Institute. Keep checking back to gain insight into speakers’ talks, initiatives, and highlights of the work of the Leadership Institute and its participants.

 

The Weirton Daily Times covers Bob Olson, an innovative tech and business entrepreneur, joining Franciscan University’s Leadership Institute as the executive director.

The Herald Star describes the ideals and aims of the Leadership Institute at Franciscan University.

Franciscan University of Steubenville announces its latest endeavor to make a difference in the lives of students and the community by creating the Leadership Institute to foster business growth and interest in ethical entrepreneurship.

Proposed Academic Program Offerings

The entrepreneurship program at Franciscan University of Steubenville will offer courses, work experience, and mentoring to students interested in starting their own businesses or nonprofits. The focus will be on instilling an entrepreneurship mindset rooted in traditional virtues and the free market that encourages intelligent risk taking, innovation, and iteration. New courses are currently being developed from the ground up with feedback from business leaders and entrepreneurs to reflect the real-world knowledge and skills students need to be successful. All the areas of study also will draw on the Catholic worldview and social teaching to inspire students to honor human dignity while attaining their business or social entrepreneurship goals.

The grounding in traditional Christian virtues coupled with the embrace of market principles sets Franciscan University’s program apart from many academic institutions, which unfortunately often confuse social activism for ethical leadership. Franciscan’s curriculum and culture produce students grounded in faith and traditional virtues. This culture at Franciscan University also instills an entrepreneurial mindset among students and graduates who look for social entrepreneurship solutions to solve needs traditionally addressed through charitable donations.  The entrepreneurship program will encourage students to look to market solutions to solve not just traditional market needs, but also the needs of the underprivileged worldwide by providing them sustainable business opportunities and the dignity of work to escape poverty.

The core courses under consideration for the entrepreneurship minor include the following:

  • Marketing analysis and strategy for startups
  • Starting a new business enterprise, franchise or nonprofit
  • Leading and managing teams
  • Accounting and finance fundamentals for business startups
  • An entrepreneurship lab
  • Creating and selling your business plan
  • Ethical case studies faced by new start ups

At the end of year one, Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio expects to launch seven courses, to hire a program director, and to fund a competition that will provide seed money for the winning business plan for a new venture. In addition, the entrepreneurship program will fund visiting entrepreneurs, establish a formal mentoring program, offer students the opportunity to visit businesses off campus to gain insight on the challenges of starting and growing a business, and publish short videos on entrepreneurship and leadership.

View course requirements in the Academic Catalog.

Ambassador Andrew Bremberg

Leadership Institute Advisory Board

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Claire Dwyer

Leadership Institute Advisory Board

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Father Gregory Plow, TOR

Associate to the vice president for Franciscan Life at Franciscan University of Steubenville.

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Franco Carapellotti

Leadership Institute Advisory Board

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Cathy Chilton

General Catherine A. Chilton

Leadership Institute Advisory Board

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General Kevin P. Chilton

Leadership Institute Advisory Board

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Joshua McCaig

Leadership Institute Advisory Board

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Justin Schneir

Justin Schneir

Leadership Institute Advisory Board

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Noelle Mering

Noelle Mering

Leadership Institute Advisory Board

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Pat Molyneaux

Patrick Molyneaux

Leadership Institute Advisory Board

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Rick Newton

Rick Newton

Leadership Institute Advisory Board

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Steve Abdalla

Steve Abdalla

Leadership Institute Advisory Board

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Tim Chapman

Leadership Institute Advisory Board

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Dr. Charles P. Nemeth

Ukrainian Reconstruction
Dr. Steve Lawarne 

The Eucharist and the Work of Human Hands
Dr. Deborah Savage

The Spiritually Creative
Alex Jones

Is Creating Wealth a Virtue
Dr. Deborah Savage

Opportunities and Generosity Abound
Rick Graber

On Faith & Public Life
Paul Ryan 

Business as a Force for Good
Dan Vansteenburg 

A Christian Response to Wokeness 
Noelle Mering

Caring for Your People in Business
Chris Wright

Christ’s Leadership
Dr. Michel Therrien

Quantum Computing and Why We Need It
Tony Uttley

Dignity of Work & Catholic Work Ethic
Dr. Michael Sirilla

Endeavor: A Catholic Astronaut’s Perspective on Spaceflight
 General Kevin P. Chilton

Creation and the Spirit of Entrepreneurship 
Dr. Stephen Hildebrand

The Craft of Leadership: Unlocking Human Potential
David DeWolf

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Forming Catholic Leaders and Entrepreneurs

For more information, email Doug Perry, Executive Director of The Leadership Institute.
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Executive Directors
Douglas Perry, JD | The Leadership Institute at Franciscan University
Executive Director of The Leadership Institute

Doug Perry, JD, former vice president, Global Compliance at Honeywell International Inc., a global Fortune 100 company, serves as the…
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Bob Olson | The Leadership Institute at Franciscan University
Executive Director of Entrepreneurship and Growth

“I am humbled and honored to serve both the students and the Franciscan University of Steubenville community,” said Olson. “To…
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Department of Accounting, Business Administration, and Economics

The Accounting, Business Administration, and Economics Department at Franciscan University of Steubenville provides an educational experience that is unlike any other. At Franciscan University, you’ll gain keen business acumen as well as the Catholic ethical formation necessary to stand out as a business leader. With six major degree areas and multiple minors to choose from, business students have the world at their fingertips.