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The Gerdin Citizenship Program (GCP) is a new program aimed at increasing the involvement of freshmen and sophomores in the College of Business by engaging them in activities meant to develop their knowledge and abilities in seven different areas.

This is an optional program for any COB student, although it is primarily targeted to incoming students. To become a Gerdin Citizen, students must complete activities related to these seven areas: professionalism, leadership, global awareness, diversity, ethics, civic responsibility, and public discourse. The activities, for the most part, are hands-on—e.g., students will need to participate in two community service projects to meet the civic responsibility requirements, and they’ll give four spontaneous one-minute speeches to qualify for public discourse.

Because of the nature of this program, we anticipate that it will take students a year to complete all of the activities. Sometime in late April, we will have a celebration event to honor all students who have completed their citizenship program. Upon completion of the program, students receive a certificate—but the real value is in getting a headstart in developing the kinds of skills that employers are looking for. In fact, employers and recruiters who have seen the GCP are very excited, because Gerdin Citizens are exactly the kind of students they want to hire—they will be looking for the Gerdin Citizenship designation on resumes.