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Cleveland Life Institute Uniqueness-
Interactive, socially conscience, community active, experiential, practical, and powerful.

Uniquely Designed Education

Successful leaders know their value lies not only in managing teams and running organizations, but in inspiring others, setting purposeful goals, executing strategic visions, and creating cultures of excellence.

Our program is designed to challenge your current perceptions about leadership and the values through interaction in our group both in the classroom as well as making a difference in our community project.

The Executive Education Program

The Cleveland Life Institute is a faith based residential executive education program that offers the opportunity to think strategically about guiding organizations to be relevant to culture and relational to the community.

In addition to the interaction of the classroom experience, the student will work collaboratively toward solutions to today’s challenges.

The first year consists of lectures, the design of a class project, implementation of that project in the community and a report to the agency on behalf the project was undertaken.  A critique of the project will conclude the term with recommendations on the continuation of the project for the next class or a spin-off of the project.

The lectures would be presented by industry experts under the direction of a facilitating faculty member who would be assigned to the class for the entire semester and would demonstrate how the various lectures pertain to the topic of the semester and the experiential learning project.

The two semester program “Skills for Social Entrepreneurs” is the first course to be offered by the School.

Skills for Social Entrepreneurs

The program “Skills for Social Entrepreneurs” has five main objectives:

Ethics and values – Students will understand basic ethical principles for business and for working in our community and will demonstrate the ability to integrate values into all processes and to be responsibly engaged with communities.  Students will also examine their own personal values.

The Social Entrepreneurial Skill Set – Using sophisticated written and oral communication skills and critical thinking skills developed in general education, students will be able to demonstrate competence in each of the following skills essential to entrepreneurship:

• Opportunity assessment
• Team building, leadership
• Negotiation skills
• Use of basic business skills to further social goals: organization, resource development, planning, growth, management, economic

Cultural, Political, and Social Understanding—Students will acquire an understanding of social, political, and cultural frameworks, will demonstrate the ability to apply this knowledge to the assessment of issues and problems, and to use this knowledge in making responsible judgments about issues and problems.

Project planning — Students will be expected to develop a full understanding of how to create and utilize a project plan that includes sustainability.

Managing and Sustaining an entrepreneurial initiative — Students will learn the unique set of skills necessary to guide a project through periods of both growth and decline.

SYLLABUS TOPICS

The Cleveland Life Institute program will be offered over two semesters.   Each semester will be 15 weeks in length, meet one time per week for 3 hours.

Semester One  CLELIFE 1001

Introduction to Management Skills for Social Entrepreneurs
Non-profits, governments and social entrepreneurs
Project planning – Program development and assessment
Legal issues and structure
Finance: Fundraising, grant writing, and budgeting
Administrative structure
Measuring and managing performance
Leveraging networks and mentors
Final presentations and conclusions
Group Presentation of Social Venture Feasibility Study
Presentation to agency

Semester Two CLELIFE 2001

The Business Plan
Scalability
Sustainability
Final presentations and conclusions
Group Presentation of Social Venture Business Plan and the Project.
Deliver a report to the agency on behalf the project was undertaken
Educational Objectives

Semester One

Social Venture Feasibility Study:

The major deliverable for the course is a social venture feasibility study.  The feasibility study will help students determine whether there is potential in their idea for social impact.  The document’s structure and content will mirror that of a business plan, although the purpose is somewhat different.  A business plan is a tool used, among other reasons, to seek resources or financial support.  In the context of this course, a feasibility study is the precursor for a business plan.

According to Andrew Wolk, author of Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact:

“A good business planning process produces an in-depth understanding of a target social problem that results in identifying opportunities that exist to address it.”

Semester Two

Social Venture Business Plan:

The major deliverables for the course is a business plan based on the project identified and validated in the feasibility study and initiating the project.

According to Wolk, “The final product, a complete business plan, demonstrates a commitment to accountability by including a rigorous measurement system for assessing and improving performance.  It also includes a plan for achieving financial sustainability, which ties funding to results and helps to attract funders …”

Examining the work from Wolk’s Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact.

Elevator Pitch:

Persuasive and effective communication is an essential skill for any social entrepreneur.  Elevator pitches are how social entrepreneurs present themselves to audiences when time is limited but an opportunity awaits.  They are short, persuasive introductions to an idea or organization.  The class will make a two-minute elevator pitch for the new social venture.

Initiating the Project:

The class will initiate to project that was validated by the feasibility study and around which a business plan was created.

Admissions

Founded with a desire to unite individuals who are passionate about making a difference in our world and to explore their faith in a progressive, interactive environment along with a focus on innovation, the Cleveland Life Institute pursues excellence in our educational experience. It’s unique design of guest lecturers with real world experience in our community advance the kingdom and quality of life for everyone within our community.

We offer two tracks for our first years:

1) Certificate Program

Leadership Certification is a one-year program that will develop your unique capabilities to make an impact on the world and live a life of purpose and fulfillment. The curriculum covers competencies in self-management, teamwork, leadership and professional skills.

Graduates earn a designation on their transcript recognizing their demonstrated excellence in leadership and organization and community involvement.

• Requirement – High School Diploma or GED equivalent
• A letter of recommendation for the program.
• Commitment to the completion of the year.  (This is essential for the interaction of the class and involvement in the project.)
• Limited enrollment

2) Graduate Level Continue Educational Units (CEU’s)

The Graduate Level CEU’s program is a one-year program accredited by the State of Ohio Department of Higher Educations requirements for CEU’s.  This program is at a high graduate level.  The program provides real life experiences with personal interaction to offer both a networking quality and real work experience which translates into a wide range of fields and work environments. 

• Requirements- a College Degree
• A LETTER OF recommendation for the program.
• Commitment to the completion of the year. (This is essential for the interaction of the class and involvement in the project.)

(Both the Certificate Program and CEU Program are operational together and meeting the same standards, paying the same tuition and graduation certificates, yet those who qualify for the CEU’s are rewarded with recognized CEU’s.)

Applying to the Program

Applications for the 2017 cohort are being accepted May 1, through August 11, 2017
Submit Your 2017 Cohort Application
Space is limited, please apply as soon as possible.

Campus –

Historic First Baptist Church
3630 Fairmount Blvd. Shaker Heights, OH 44118

Our Project

 The Educational component of Experiential Education

 “Each day that we live, we’re taking in new information, ideas, concepts, experiences, and sensations. We need to consciously stand guard at the doors of our minds to make sure that whatever we’re allowing to enter will cause our lives to be enriched, that the experiences we pursue will add to our stockpile of possibility.” ~ Anthony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within

The Power of Experiential Education by Janet Eyler

“Experiential education, which takes students into the community, helps students both to bridge classroom study and life in the world and to transform inert knowledge into knowledge-in-use. It rests on theories of experiential learning, a process whereby the learner interacts with the world and integrates new learning into old constructs.”

The ‘Jesus Method’ as a teacher

Jesus provided us a teaching model based on experiential learning which was gathering a small group of individuals into teaching sessions through life experiences.  The “Jesus Method” incorporates four general points about Jesus’ moral teaching.

The first is that it is aimed at achieving a transformation of moral character; without changing certain traits and attitudes that impede moral responsiveness, moral teaching remains merely exhortative.

Second, moral teaching cannot be moralizing; it must begin with an understanding of moral agency and motivation, and sometimes the way to influence these is not through direct moral instruction, but through other kinds of teaching.

Third, many deep moral insights are gained only indirectly, through reflection on complex and puzzling cases that do not yield simple truths or directives.

Hence, fourth, Jesus’ use of proverbs, allegories, paradoxes, parables and other figurative forms reflects, on the positive side, a desire to cultivate in listeners a breadth and flexibility of moral imagination – and, on the negative side, a willingness to see many listeners misunderstand or not understand at all.

-Nicholas C. Burbules, “Jesus as a teacher.” Spirituality and Ethics in Education: Philosophical, Theological, and Cultural Perspectives, Hanan Alexander, ed. (Brighton: Sussex Academic Press) 2017.

Making a Difference in Our Community

Photograph: Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

Each year’s Cleveland Life Institute students will engage in addressing a community issue in partnership with the ongoing work of other programs and governmental agencies.

Our Community Project  (2017-18 ) will be to evaluate and make recommendations for action regarding the problem of abandoned homes and properties in the city of Cleveland. 

Vacant houses, blighted buildings still plague Cleveland, but problem is shrinking: Taking Stock by Michelle Jarboe, The Plain Dealer

How Cleveland’s Vacant Homes Violent Crimes and Lead Poisoning are Linked – CWRU Report by Rachel Dissell, The Plain Dealer

We are in partnership with the City of Cleveland, the Cuyahoga Land Bank, and Western Reserve Land Conservancy to create a network in the faith based community to help in the revitalization of neighborhoods through a project which our students will engage themselves.

This provides a learning environment that represents the opportunity of each class to work though a project over the course of a year to a point of completion. Students will work together along with faculty advisors and community leaders to utilize our faith based community in the process of rebuilding neighborhoods. The exact nature of our role will be presented the the beginning of the school year.

Management abilities, leadership skill, and teamwork projects will provide a learning experience that will find value in our students personal or professional life. 

Few programs incorporate the level of experiential education as we provide. This will be a strong point of our program and a strong addition to our students resume.