University Archives

The Allstate Foundation–Center for Enhancing Leadership Opportunities (CELO) supports a series of high-impact, community-engaged initiatives that strengthen leadership capacity, promote organizational effectiveness, and expand educational access for youth and community partners. The 2025-2026 Mini‑Grant Projects highlight collaborative efforts across the University of Detroit Mercy to empower students as emerging leaders while responding to the needs of nonprofit and community-based organizations.

Through the Empowering Communities through Consulting Services (ECCS) initiative, undergraduate Emerging Leaders and graduate Industrial/Organizational Psychology students conduct organizational needs assessments and develop tailored service projects for youth-serving agencies. These consulting engagements grounded in stakeholder data, volunteer service, and applied leadership training enhance community partners’ capacity while giving students hands-on experience in leadership, assessment, and technical assistance. Students additionally extend the reach of the University’s Step Up: Be a Leader and Pay It Forward mentoring program by delivering leadership development sessions to participating organizations’ youth, promoting social-emotional learning, academic readiness, and career transition skills.

Partner projects demonstrate this impact across multiple community settings. Graduate-student consultants supporting La Casa Guadalupana strengthened internal operations by refining job descriptions, evaluating the organization’s public-facing communication tools, and contributing to the professional development of its Board of Directors. Their work enhances organizational efficiency, donor engagement, and long-term sustainability, ultimately expanding services for Hispanic and Latino families in Southwest Detroit.

Within the University, the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) Student Ambassadors Program is being developed into a sustainable leadership pipeline. Students are creating a comprehensive training program, job analysis, and annual onboarding manual to strengthen ambassador preparation, improve retention and enrollment outcomes, and cultivate a supportive and growth-oriented environment for CHASS students.

In partnership with the Department of Athletics and Special Olympics Michigan, students are also leading the design of an inclusive, mission-driven campus event celebrating adaptive sports, teamwork, and servant leadership. The initiative engages students, faculty, staff, and community members in collaborative service and promotes awareness of inclusive recreation.

Finally, the Step Up program has been adapted for implementation at Divine Mercy Catholic School, where a school psychologist facilitated a leadership and resilience curriculum for students with special needs. Integrating social-emotional skill development with horticultural therapy, this project demonstrates the flexibility and reach of Step Up as a model for diverse learning environments.

Collectively, these CELO-supported initiatives exemplify Detroit Mercy’s commitment to leadership education, community-engaged learning, and partnership-driven impact. By aligning academic expertise with community needs, the projects enrich student learning while advancing the capacity of nonprofit organizations to serve youth and families across Detroit.