Leaders in Transition

Public service is a key component of Notre Dame’s mission. Approximately 10 percent of graduating students put this mission into action through a year or more of volunteer work. However, these same students can experience reverse culture shock when they return to the U.S. job market. The Leaders in Transition Certificate Program, now in its second year, seeks to ease their move back into the professional arena.

The reason for the program is simple: According to Rev. Bill Lies, C.S.C., executive director for the Center for Social Concerns, many Notre Dame graduates give a year or more of post-graduate volunteer service that gets a lot of recognition prior, but there is little to reward such commitment after they finish their volunteer work. What’s more, volunteers can take as much as 70 to 80 days to let go of the volunteer experience and find a full-time job.

In response, the Master of Nonprofit Administration program (MNA), which was looking to expand its non-degree offerings, began the certification program. Last year it hosted 27 former volunteers, and has openings for 40 this year. The program is sponsored in collaboration with the Center for Social Concerns, the Alumni Association, and the Career Center, and through a grant from The Arthur Foundation.

Since many of these volunteers have been financially under or unsupported for at least a year, the program is free after a $25 application fee. Students are given a $250 stipend for their travel, and can stay in a retreat house on the Notre Dame campus. And anyone, Notre Dame alumnus or not, can apply to the program after at least 12 months working in service.

This year’s program, which runs from August 9-14, begins on the ground level, with personality tests identifying the skills and preferences of each person. Once a career track is identified, the program shifts gears, teaching basic interviewing and application procedures. Mary C. Costello M.A., CIP, principal of Image Launch, will discuss developing positive visual appearance strategies in the areas of professional presence, business etiquette, and personal branding.

One of the key components of the Leaders in Transition Program is that it teaches the participants to value and adapt the skills they learned in service to their lifetime careers. Rather than seeing their past experiences as a weakness on their résumé, they learn to make them the cornerstone. They will have a lecture on these transferable skills as well as a panel discussion by former volunteers.

After all, “recent graduates who donate a year or more of their lives to volunteer service are generous and obvious leaders,” says Tom Harvey, director of the Master of Nonprofit Administration program (MNA), but “in making such a radical transition, even generosity and leadership can use some help.”

To view a schedule of sessions and to get more information, see the Leaders in Transition Certification Program website .