July 20, 2010
Farmville, VA -- March 23, 2010. Longwood Establishes Leadership Training Center Based on "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" A center to provide leadership development training based on "the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" has been established in the Longwood University College of Business and Economics. The SNVC Institute for Leadership Values will offer training in the principles pioneered by Dr. Stephen R. Covey, whose book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has sold more than 20 million copies in 38 languages since its first publication in 1989.
The Institute is a partnership among Longwood; SNVC, an information technology company whose president and CEO, Tom DeWitt, is a Longwood alumnus; and FranklinCovey, a leadership development and services firm. "This is the first-ever university-based full training center for FranklinCovey in Virginia," said Dr. Paul Barrett, dean of the College of Business and Economics. "These are universal principles that are internationally famous and are used by many organizations, including the Department of Defense. We know these principles foster effectiveness, by which we mean the delivery of a successful product or service in which the measures of success occur over and over. The seven habits are the ingredient to that success."
Training will be done for Longwood faculty and staff at least once an academic year and possibly every semester. Most of the sessions will be held on campus, though some might be held in Richmond or Northern Virginia. For organizations wanting the training outside of Longwood University, other sessions will be scheduled and net proceeds from the training will be put into college scholarships. The Institute is patterned most closely after a similar center at California University of Pennsylvania, which Barrett said has helped "radically transform" that institution. Some 46 Longwood faculty members and administrators and two SNVC executives attended a training session 4-6 January. Ten of the Longwood participants continued their training and attained certification to teach the program. "Over time, all Longwood faculty and staff will be trained, "Barrett said. "Synergy is one of the seven habits, so we want people in the training from diverse strata, which makes for a better one-campus, on-team approach. The overall idea is that we will train students on values and effectiveness, and we will also train values-based organizations that want to hire those students and let them meet in the middle."
In addition to training Longwood faculty and staff, the Institute's mission will include outreach to high schools. "I've met with the superintendents, and they are excited, "Barrett said. "We'll start with principals and guidance counselors, then eventually work with teachers and students. in this manner we will get young people early and have them take on the seven habits for a lifetime of success. We realize it's a stretch goal, but ultimately over time we want the Commonwealth of Virginia to be a recognized leader for high standards, for highly effective people and their values."
The Institute has three co-directors who will direct a division based on their respective expertise. They are Bill Baxter, director of the McGaughy Professional Development Center who will handle the for profit division; Cheryl Davis, senior lecturer in computer information management systems who will lead the education division; and Dr. Jim Haug, assistant professor of management who will oversee the nonprofit and government agencies division. We received a sizable donation from SNVC to name and sponsor the Institute," Barrett said. "SNVC staff members will be trained each time, and eventually all of their employees will be trained."
"The seven habits will change your life, "Barrett said. It's a very powerful set of tools. It's particularly timely these days with the ethical breakdowns in business and life; there's been a tidal wave in the breakdown of values. The principles that many of us grew up with in the 1940s and '50s have been diffused. The only way to fix these breakdowns is education. The seven habits are based on integrity. We're bringing in and building relationships with organizations that operate on the seven habits values system, we're looking at ethics in curricula, and last spring the College of Business and Economics adapted a values statement, which is very similar to the seven habits.
At a recent lunch meeting of the Better Business Bureau of Virginia, in Richmond, in which the topic was "Ethics in Business," the College was featured." Barrett cited two companies that operate on seven habits-type principles: Owens & Minor Inc., based in Mechanicsville, and Frito-Lay, whose world headquarters are in Dallas. "Not surprisingly, both of these values-based companies have seen record high revenue and profits even during this great recession. These types of firms are proof that you can do the right thing and make money doing it."
Barrett also pointed out that Longwood's business students and faculty attended Owens & Minor's Cultural Orientation Day. G. Gilmer Minor, the company's chairman has been involved in discussions leading to the SNVC Institute for Leadership Values. Al Carey, president and CIO of Frito-Lay North America, will speak at Longwood in September 2010 on the topic of speed of trust.
The Institute was dedicated March 23 in a ceremony at Longwood in which the guest speaker was G. Gilmer Minor. Others who spoke included Shawn Moon, General Manager for Government and Education Services for FranklinCovey; Barrett; and DeWitt. "We're helping to establish this because at SNVC we embrace and value leadership," said DeWitt, a 1980 Longwood graduate who co-founded SNVC in 1998, two years after retiring from the Army following at 16-year career in which he attained the rank of major.
About SNVC:SNVC, based in Fairfax, provides technical expertise ranging from program management support to technical and engineering services. A wholly-owned subsidiary, CDS Telecom, provides managed telecommunication services to the federal government. Most of SNVC's 86 employees reside and work in the Washington, D.C., area. A seven-member team supports a client in Sierra Vista, AZ. The firm is owned by veterans, and its biggest customer is the Dept. of the Army. "We have always been firmly grounded in three corporate values: leadership, integrity, and commitment, " said Beth Miller-Herholtz, SNVC's vice president for corporate communications. "We instill integrity throughout our business practices, and most importantly, in our business partnerships. This partnership with Longwood University and FranklinCovey is a testament to staying committed to an ideal, operating with integrity, and leading toward a brighter future." DeWitt served on the Longwood Board of Visitors from 2005 -2009, and is a member of the College of Business and Economics Advisory Board. DeWitt, commissioned in Longwood's first class of ROTC graduates, returned to campus in 1987 and taught in the ROTC program for two years. His wife, Cindy, is a 1989 Longwood graduate.
FranklinCovey was formed when the Covey Leadership Center, founded by Stephen Covey, merged with Franklin Quest in 1997. The company, based in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah, and with offices in 123 countries, describes itself as "a global leader in effectiveness training, productivity tools, strategy execution and assessment services for organizations and individuals.
