Four students in the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management’s Scholars on Board Program will present their experiences from serving on a local nonprofit board during a symposium Friday, May 20, from 8:30-10 a.m., in the Knight Library Browsing Room on the University of Oregon campus.

This year, seventeen graduate students have enrolled in the board governance program, with each spending a minimum of nine months serving on a regional nonprofit board of directors. The students’ projects range from redesigning board practices to leading volunteer appreciation events, to fundraising for the nonprofit’s programs.

In addition to their board service, scholars also enroll in a Nonprofit Board Governance class with instructor Diane Lang. In this class, students review relevant board governance literature and discuss the features of a highly effective nonprofit board. The experience provides them with the opportunity to reflect on the relevance and application of the literature and share their knowledge gained through experience with their classmates.

During the symposium, Lang will speak about her experience working with the students. Afterward, a representative from Pacific Continental Bank will speak and present certificates to this year’s board governance scholars. To close the program, new students interested in joining the 2016-2017 Nonprofit Board Governance class will get the opportunity to meet representatives from local nonprofit organizations and learn about next year’s service opportunities.

Guests at the symposium will include all graduate students enrolled in program, graduate students applying for the program next year, representatives from local nonprofit organizations, and distinguished invitees from Pacific Continental Bank and the University of Oregon.

The Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management’s Scholars on Board Program has been made possible for the past eleven years through the generous sponsorship of Pacific Continental Bank. To date, Pacific Continental Bank has donated more than $160,000 to this program, which assists the greater Eugene and Portland communities in prioritizing the development of future nonprofit leaders.