DePaul MBAs Start New Service Project with Misericordia

Students in DePaul University’s full-time MBA program at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business are engaged in a new community service project with the heartfelt mission of a local non-profit, Misericordia, which support individuals with developmental disabilities in maximizing their level of independence and self-determination.

Kellstadt was connected with Misericordia through their Chief Financial Officer Kevin Connelly, a 2001 DePaul MBA graduate. He is one of a quartet of leaders at Misericordia who have connections to DePaul through degrees or other associations.

There are more than 600 children and adults who live on the Misericordia campus. They provide residents with speech, occupational and physical therapies, as well as recreational activities and community interactions. There’s an aquatic and fitness center, as well as a bakery and restaurant that employ some of the residents.

MBAs kicked off their service by travelled to Chicago’s North Side where they were given a tour of the entire Misericordia campus. They met several of the residents and got to see how the organization runs its operations.

“DePaul’s approach (to the service project) is different,” says Connelly. “It is built into the cohort MBA program and lasts the entire year. Other schools we have worked with typically provide a week’s worth of service. At DePaul, it is taken seriously by all students and faculty, and there is a greater sense of dedication and care for the long-term results. Sister Rosemary was very enthusiastic about the commitment of a full school year to the projects.”

Connelly has proposed that the MBA students address Misericordia’s business needs in three different areas; in the recruitment and retention areas of human resources; the social media side of marketing; and how to run both the bakery and restaurant businesses more smoothly. Students divided themselves into teams to tackle each of these business needs and selected leaders who would be the main contacts for the organization and DePaul.

“I love the pairing of DePaul and Misericordia,” said Tanner Krause, an MBA student studying change leadership. “I think it’s great that Kellstadt gives us the opportunity to give back to a group of Chicagoans in need. You’ve got two longtime institutions based on faith, hoping for the betterment of each of their constituents’ lives.”

regions: Chicago

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