AROUND THE CENTER
Meet the Mandel Center's Impressive New Class of Students
This fall, the Mandel Center welcomed a new class of 42 students representing the MNO, MNO - Executive Option, MNO/MSSA, CNM, JD/CNM, and MSSA/CNM programs. Students from this new class join the Mandel Center from many geographical locations outside of Ohio, including California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and even Japan. This class has experience in a variety of fields, including art history, business, counseling, engineering, law, and wildlife with students working for such companies and organizations as City Year, Dancing Wheels, the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center, The Ohio Democratic Party, and University Hospitals.
MNO candidate Jenita McGowan decided to enroll at the Mandel Center after semi-retiring from her career as a professional modern dancer for the past five years in the Cleveland area.
"My work in the nonprofit sector has been as a performer, dance educator, and outreach and education coordinator for dance companies, including Dancing Wheels, Antaeus Dance and The Repertory Project," Jenita explained. "After retiring from my performing career, I decided I wanted a career as a leader in a nonprofit arts organization. I looked at the Mandel Center and talked to graduates of the program. I knew that the contacts I would make here and the classes offered would give me the expertise I need to achieve my goals."
While attending classes, Jenita also works as the Outreach and Education Coordinator at Dancing Wheels, an integrated modern dance company of dancers with and without disabilities.
"I have been able to apply what I have learned in my first semester here to my job at Dancing Wheels," Jenita said. "The financial accounting class I took this semester helps me to see how the finances of The School of Dancing Wheels tie into the finances of the organization as a whole. The professors have been quite accessible and I really value how they bring real-world situations into the classroom in the form of guest speakers and student experiences."
Monica AG Craven, MNO candidate, joined the Mandel Center from Habitat for Humanity in Lansing, Michigan after looking at many other universities, including University of Washington, Stanford, Harvard, and Indiana University, in order to make her decision.
"Every other program I looked at seemed to offer either a major in Social Sciences or Business with only a specialization in nonprofits," Monica explained. "I just wanted something more comprehensive. The Mandel Center was the only program that I looked at that had a direct application approach to learning. I was so excited to get out in the world that the thought of strict classroom learning didn't appeal to me at all."
"I am really enjoying the hands-on practical experience that I am getting in my classes," Monica went on to say. "I enjoy trying the techniques we learn in the real world to see how they can be used. My classmates are incredibly creative and have such a diverse background that I find simple conversations to be enlightening!"
CNM candidate Janet Coquillette graduated from Case Law School in 1980 and worked at Jones Day for nine years before leaving to raise her three children. During the past 17 years, Janet has been involved with a number of nonprofit organizations as a volunteer and trustee.
"I decided to enroll at the Mandel Center as a way to connect two aspects of my life - my professional training as a corporate lawyer and my volunteer work with various Cleveland nonprofits," Janet said. "I hope to be able to make a more significant contribution to the nonprofit community by combining my professional skills and interests with some formal training in nonprofit management from the Mandel Center."
Like many Mandel Center students, CNM candidate Bonnie Robbins, after having worked for BP America in Chicago for 25 years, decided to switch gears from the corporate world to the nonprofit sector and selected the Mandel Center as her means for doing so.
"I have technical and managerial skills, and I want to apply them to something new and different," Bonnie said. "I applied to the Mandel Center to learn about nonprofits, to meet the people who work in them, and to identify potential positions in the Cleveland area. I am happy to report that in my first semester, I have learned about some of the differences between nonprofits and corporations and have met many interesting people who have shared insights on the work they do for nonprofits."
Carrie Tollefson, JD/CNM candidate, decided to enroll in the Mandel Center's program after receiving information about it while earning her JD at Case's School of Law. Carrie is preparing to graduate this spring and is applying for jobs and internships in development. Currently, Carrie has an externship at Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio (YANEO), which she received through the Mandel Center and where she works with Mandel Center alumna Marsha Dobrzynski, executive director of YANEO.
"I am passionate about nonprofit organizations, particularly education-related organizations, and I know that the Mandel Center's great reputation will help me with my management skills no matter what my area of work," Carrie said. "I am really enjoying the opportunity to study nonprofit organizations with people who are already working in the nonprofit sector in many different areas. My externship at YANEO is a wonderful opportunity."
The Mandel Center held several orientation and welcoming events for its new students, such as an academic exercise involving a case study with Mandel Center faculty and an individual learning style inventory with Zoe Breen Wood from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. Students also participated in a guided tour of University Circle and surrounding areas on Lolly the Trolley, as well as an evening reception at Cleveland Botanical Garden.
"Orientation at the Mandel Center really reflected what I perceive to be the Center's professionalism and values: high quality of education and educators, as well as administrative and support staff," explained Trevor Scheetz, MNO candidate.
The Mandel Center is proud to welcome the Fall 2006 entering class of students and wishes them great success as they pursue their studies in nonprofit management.
