What is the Center?

The Bishop Center was established by a gift from Louise Bishop. Its mission is to promote the study and practice of good leadership. Good leadership is defined as leadership that is both effective and ethical. Many of the challenges to the possibility of ethical leadership arise when effectiveness and morality are seen to be in conflict.

The Bishop Center offers selected academic credit courses from the University of South Florida’s Leadership Studies Minor. Included in these courses is SLS 4274, Ethics and Power in Leadership. This course emphasizes practical ethics and is also offered in a study abroad version. Current research focuses on developmental and best practice pedagogical approaches to the theories and skills of teaching ethics.

Community Matters is a public series that is presented in partnership with the Pinellas County Chapter of the USF Alumni Association. Its purpose is to bring alumni, faculty, and other members of the community together to learn about and to discuss important community issues.

Partnerships that increase opportunities for student learning about ethics, leadership and community are priorities for the Bishop Center. A good example is the partnership with Hospice that encourages Hospice teen leaders in high school to attend USF St. Petersburg and complete a sequence of leadership courses including SLS 4274, Ethics and Power in Leadership. The Bishop Center partners with the Center for Civic Engagement to cultivate student placements for SLS 3948, Community Leadership Practicum and through administration of the Impact Now! funding from Florida Campus Compact.

Finally, the Bishop Center contributes to programs that engage the campus and students outside of the classroom. The Center's Director was instrumental in the development of the proposed USF honor statement, Commitment to Honor, and continues to work toward system-wide implementation.  The Director also serves as faculty secretary and advisor of Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society.