New courses focused on philanthropy and nonprofit administration are set to be crafted by The University of Memphis Department of Public and Nonprofit Administration and ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“This partnership will allow us to move to the next level,” U of M President M. David Rudd said in the press release announcing the creation of the courses. “This is a great opportunity for the department and the university to increase our national and international presences, provide online learning opportunities for the philanthropy and nonprofit sector and provide our students with opportunities to learn from and work with a world-class organization.”
The university currently offers a graduate certificate in philanthropy and nonprofit leadership. This collaboration with ALSAC St. Jude will aim to expand these opportunities.
“The Public and Nonprofit Administration MPA (Master’s in Public Administration) and graduate certificates have an established reputation in Memphis and throughout the Mid-South, and we will continue to engage and serve our local government and nonprofit communities,” Rudd said in the press release.
Along with new courses, the university is working to find internship opportunities for students and will bring student groups to ALSAC’s headquarters to learn more about the organization and how it operates.
“The department has a strong reputation in the local community and the partnership will build on that,” Sharon Wrobel, the chair of the Department of Public and Nonprofit Administration, said.
First, in partnership with ALSAC St. Jude, the department will be able to supplement their current curriculum with the organization’s expertise in fundraising, marketing and branding, among other areas, Wrobel said.
“This semester, ALSAC has provided the department with some amazing guest lecturers for our graduate course in Nonprofit Resource Development,” Wrobel said.
Next semester, ALSAC is helping the department develop a new course on helping organizations create their nonprofit identity through “branding” and “storytelling.”
“We are especially excited that this course will be taught by an ALSAC executive,” Wrobel said. “I think the students will really benefit by learning from one of the top experts in the field.”
Wrobel said the department expects this will be just the first step in a strong and meaningful partnership.
