The document summarizes the McCarthy Experience in Service and Action (MESA) theme community at Loyola Marymount University. MESA was founded in 2005 with 12 sophomore women and has since grown to 28 participants. It integrates service, leadership development, and social justice education. Students live together and participate in monthly service projects, leadership workshops based on the Social Change Model, and reflection meetings. The workshops have helped students develop leadership skills and better understand their values and role in creating social change. MESA has been successful but faced challenges in scaling programming and gaining full participation.

1. Social Change, Leadership, and
Service in Action: A Residential Model
Marci Walton
Loyola Marymount University

2. Purpose of Today’s Session
 Introduction and overview of the McCarthy
Experience in Service and Action (MESA) theme
community at Loyola Marymount University
 Overview and analysis of MESA’s development
and integration of leadership workshop series
 Practical application of MESA’s success and how
to avoid our pitfalls on your own campus
 Methods to integrate service into leadership or
leadership into service

3. Loyola Marymount Campus Climate
 Located on the West side of Los Angeles, one mile from
LAX and the Pacific Ocean
 Catholic institution, founded in the Jesuit and
Marymount traditions
 Mission statement
 Encouragement of learning
 Education of the whole person
 Service of faith and promotion of justice
 5,400 students, plus graduate students and a satellite
law school campus
 3,200 students live within our residential communities

4. Leadership Climate
 Leadership Institute founded in 2007 and subscribe to
the Social Change Model of Leadership Development
 Three-prong approach to leadership development
 One-unit leadership classes (Individual, Group and Community)
 Leadership workshop series and speakers on campus
 Capstone experience
 Students who complete the Institute receive a
Leadership Citation on their University transcript

5. Service Climate
 University tradition of service, grounded in Jesuit theology
 Eight service organizations on campus
 All-male, all-female and co-ed
 Sole purpose is service, reflection and community
 Application and interview selection process
 More difficult to get into a service organization than Greek organization
 Service is integrated into nearly everything on campus
 Divisional of Student Affairs day of service
 Service during student leader training
 First-year and sophomore days of service
 Nationally recognized Alternative Spring Break Program
 Partner closely with neighborhood agencies through our Center for
Service and Action

6. MESA Original Development
 Founded in 2005 as a theme community of 12 sophomore women
 Lived in McCarthy Hall in three, four-person suites on the same
wing of a floor
 Mission Statement: To educate and form men and women for
others through a living and learning environment. Through direct
personal contact with the marginalized of our local and global
community, resident students will lead efforts to create a more
faith-filled and just society by serving others.
 Direct partnership between the Student Housing Office and the
Center for Service and Action (CSA)
 Funding of $1,000 for programmatic purposes
 Leadership through the Resident Director of McCarthy Hall, the
Assistant Director for Student Organizations through CSA and a
specially selected Resident Advisor

7. MESA Framework & Requirements
 Members are selected through an application and essay
 All live on the same wing in McCarthy Hall
 Program requirements
 Individual, off-campus service (3-5 hours per week)
 Each suite of four residents takes the lead for one month
 One group service project per month
 One group reflection meeting per month
 Community bulletin board to educate other residents on the social
justice theme
 One leadership workshop per month
 Individual meetings with program directors (once per semester)
 Spring and Fall Orientation
 Recruitment events

8. MESA Monthly Themes
 In order to give more structure, each month is given a social
justice theme
 Group service experience and subsequent reflection are
based on this theme
 September: Environment | Ballona Wetlands
 October: Aging and the Elderly | Marycrest Manor
 November: World Hunger | Hunger Banquet
 January: Homelessness | Midnight Mission on Skid Row
 February: Immigration | Guadalupe Homeless Project
 March: Education | Children’s Institute of Los Angeles
 April: Serving in Community | All Service Org. Day of Service

9. Leadership Integration
 Theme Communities at LMU do not have an academic
component, but there was room for growth with MESA
 Direct ties can be found between service and leadership
 During the 2008-2009 academic year a leadership workshop
series was developed and implemented.
 Potential for growth and development of MESA students was
extraordinary and the students were excited!
 Workshop series based on the Social Change Model of
Leadership Development

10. How Does it Work?
 Introduction to the Social Change Model during Fall Orientation
 One, one-hour workshop per month that directly ties to the Social
Change Model
 Fall semester we focus on Individual Values
 Consciousness of Self
 Congruence
 Commitment
 Spring semester we focus on Group and Community Values
 Collaboration
 Common Purpose
 Controversy with Civility
 Citizenship

11. Social Change Model of
Leadership Development
Individual
Consciousness of Self
Congruence
Commitment
Group
Collaboration
Common Purpose
Controversy with
Civility
Community
Citizenship
CHANGE

12. Social Change Model of
Leadership Development
 Work began on this model in 1994 at the Higher
Education Research Institute (UCLA)
 The model attempts to integrate already
established leadership development concepts
 Provides for leaders who may not hold traditional
roles of leadership, but rather want to make
positive change within their spheres of influence
 A key concept of this model is that leadership as
a process.

13. Assumptions Made by the Model
 Leadership is socially responsible, it impacts change on
behalf of others.
 Leadership is collaborative.
 Leadership is a process, not a position.
 Leadership is inclusive and accessible to all people.
 Leadership is values-based.
 Community involvement/service is a powerful vehicle for
leadership.
(Astin 1996; Bonous-Hammarth, 2001: HERI, 1996)

14. Workshop Series Development
 Needed to be fun, engaging and practical
 Reflection was a key portion of the experience
 Activities had to be new and fresh because students
were initially skeptical

15. Workshop Series Examples
 Consciousness of Self
 Values Star Power
 Congruence
 Values Walk
 Commitment
 Developing Mission Statements
 Collaboration
 Spaghetti and Gumdrops
 Common Purpose
 Group Drawing with a Catch
 Controversy with Civility
 Whom Would You Choose?
 Citizenship
 MESA Alumni “Inside the Service Studio”

16. Workshop Series Feedback from Students
 “The workshops are a chance to ask yourself questions, and
develop skills that you aren’t learning in classes or other
organizations.”
 “When you learn about what you value it creates an interesting
chance to push yourself.”
 “I love being able to think and question yourself and others. The
workshops really help spark conversations.”
 “I never thought I could be a leader because I was never ‘in charge,’
but the workshops helped me realize that everyone has a role with
leadership.”
 “It really helped me think about why I’m doing service and how
that relates to my own leadership.”

17. Workshop Series “Growing Pains”
 Resources: Time, Money and Human
 Developing and adapting to more than double
the class size from one year to the next
 Institutional support
 Creating buy-in from a few students on the fringe

18. Current State of MESA
 Grown from 12 women to 28 participants (16 women and 10 men)
 First year of involvement we had several open spaces and now we
have a 17-person wait list
 Increased our programming budget from $1,000 to $1,500 per year
 Developing relationship with the Center for Service and Action
House as a feeder program
 Added a support MESA RA
 Countless MESA members become members of service
organizations, several on executive boards or as President
 Several MESA members have gone on to devote a year to post-grad
service or to work for non-profit organizations
 Grown a true MESA identity and sense of pride

19. Questions or Follow-Up?
 Marci Walton
 Loyola Marymount University
 marci.walton@lmu.edu
 Sign up to be e-mailed the presentation
slides or sample lesson plans!