University of Michigan

Cultivating Local and Global Leaders

A hands-on education in nonprofit management

Gary (BBA COB ’63) and Joanne Wagerson

Students will have new opportunities to gain hands-on experience in nonprofit management as part of their coursework, thanks to a generous gift from a University of Michigan-Dearborn College of Business alumnus and his wife.

Gary (BBA COB ’63) and Joanne Wagerson’s $25,000 gift to UM-Dearborn will expand service learning internships with local nonprofits, says College of Business (COB) Dean Kim Schatzel. Ford Motor Company, Deloitte and Masco have provided matching funds.

The service-learning approach to education combines traditional coursework with hands-on experiences at nonprofit organizations that will benefit from student assistance. In a marketing course with a service learning component, for example, students working in teams might apply their classroom knowledge to help a nonprofit tackle a specific marketing project, with supervision from their professor.

Schatzel says several faculty members already integrate service learning into their courses. The influx of funding will allow this type of teaching and learning to grow and become a more formal part of the COB curriculum.

Joy Beatty, associate professor of organizational behavior and a noted service learning expert, has been appointed to coordinate the program and serve as a link between faculty, students and area nonprofit partners.

“In two or three years, we will have a series of workshops for faculty to gain competencies and assist them in the development, design and delivery of these classes, and students will be able to choose more courses that have service learning components,” says Schatzel.

Gary and Joanne Wagerson say this is exactly what they had in mind when they made the gift to the College.

Gary’s interest in service learning was influenced by his years at UM-Dearborn, where he participated in a formal internship program at Lincoln-Mercury that he says shaped his skills and helped set the course for his career. After working for several major international companies, he founded two of his own: Wagerson & Associates in 1983, and Global Trade Development Group in 2001. Both businesses helped manufacturing clients conduct and grow their businesses overseas. He also founded First Word, a nonprofit organization that provides funding to treat children who, for medical reasons, are unable to speak.

Joanne, who holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Spanish and a Ph.D. in reading, is co-founder of the nonprofit organization Beyond Basics, a literacy organization that was already working with the COB on several projects. Beyond Basics helps bring struggling Detroit Public School students to grade level in subjects like reading and math.

Helping to expand and strengthen the College’s link to local nonprofits — while at the same time enhancing the skills and experiences of COB students — was a natural fit for the philanthropic couple.

“The College knew that we are interested in helping all kinds of kids,” Joanne says. “We both know from experience that the very best model for college students to learn about nonprofit work is when a professor is involved. It is a really powerful way of learning that helps the community and the students. And it helps college students feel that they have the power to make a difference.”

Adds Schatzel, “They are a terrific family with a strong sense of giving back that has been part of their lives forever. For us, working with them has been such a pleasure. This initiative was in great part sparked by their funding, and they have inspired us to take service learning to this new level.”

This article first appeared in the Fall 2010 issue of Legacy, the UM-Dearborns alumni magazine.

More Stories