KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Stephen Gilliland, a professor in the Eller College of Business and Public Administration, created a social entrepreneurship class three years ago. Gilliland believes that whatever career path his students decide to take, they need to realize they have an "opportunity to make a difference."

UA prof committed to social service

When Stephen Gilliland talks about making a difference in the community, he sits forward in his chair, and his eyes spark with excitement.

Just imagine, he says.

"If we take all that business expertise (in the Eller College of Business and Public Administration) and 40,000 graduates, imagine the impact we could have."

Gilliland, a vice dean in the Eller College, created a social entrepreneurship class three years ago to instill the same excitement he has about improving the community in his business students.

"The primary message I want students to walk away with is no matter what they decide to do in their careers, they have the opportunity to make a difference and give back."

To impart that message, Gilliland teaches a "revolutionary" class. There are no lecture notes, no PowerPoint presentations and no exams. There's not even a textbook.

The three-hour class, held on Fridays, takes a more interactive approach, emphasizing discussions and hands-on activities over lectures.

Gilliland, who received his master's and Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from Michigan State University, said his laid-back approach is driven by his desire to be seen as a collaborator, a motivator and a facilitator who gets students involved in the process of discovery.

I love this class. (Gilliland) opens the picture more in class by coming from a different perspective. - Alero Akporiaye, business economics junior

Too many professors get in the mindset that they're the experts, and they need to impart knowledge on their students, he said.

The problem is that when students leave, the learning ends, he said.

"I try and impart the discovery process so the learning can continue."

Dan Perl, who took Gilliland's class in 2001, works as a consultant for a Belgium entertainment firm and is already applying the principles he learned in class to make a difference in Belgium.

Perl, who graduated from the UA in 2002, has convinced his employer, his family and their partners in Belgium to apply the concepts of social entrepreneurship to their businesses. As a result, he said, he and a number of Belgian corporations are getting involved in the community that has brought an increase in media attention and revenue.

"Social entrepreneurship has actually become a way of thinking for me, and has only brought along positive consequences with it," he said.

And some of Gilliland's students aren't waiting until they graduate to impact the community. The class's curriculum requires students to develop a social entrepreneurial project, and some of these projects have been put into action by the Eller College.

Students from one class developed an after-school program for elementary students in low socioeconomic areas. After putting together a curriculum, they partnered with a social service organization to make their vision a reality, Gilliland said.

Alero Akporiaye, a business economics junior who is in Gilliland's class this semester, has decided after only two months into the class that she wants to be a social entrepreneur.

"I love this class," she said. "(Gilliland) opens the picture more in class by coming from a different perspective."

Mark Zupan, the former dean of the Eller College, said Gilliland's course is not just crucial for how it encourages students to think, but for the role it plays in the college's mission, which includes social responsibility as one of its three areas of focus.

"Social entrepreneurship is indeed a trend across the country, and Stephen, through his course, has helped position the Eller College to be a leader in setting that trend," Zupan said.

Editor's note: This is part of a weekly feature profiling professors. If you know a top-notch professor who deserves recognition, e-mail us at news@wildcat.arizona.edu.