Men’s Development Institute restructures
The Men's Development Institute was founded in 2014 but has since undergone changes. Student leadership positions are now paid, and the institue will be hiring full-time employees for the institute. The MDI took its model inspiration from the Institute for Women's Leadership.
This fall, the Men’s Development Institute announced a reboot. This is the first major restructuring of the organization since 2014. Previously, the MDI has been student run. Now, the MDI is gearing up to have full-time employees.
These changes are being made in the hopes that the MDI will become a strong foundation for students at SJU.
“The big change is that there is a more direct sense of mentoring and support of the students,” said Shane Miller, director of the Integrations Curriculum, and new faculty leader of the MDI. “The student leadership positions are now becoming paid positions.”
The MDI hopes to maintain yearly stability by paying its student workers. This will help keep people involved and make it easier for students to devote their time to the organization, rewarding them for the hard work they put in.
The Sister Nancy Hynes Institute for Women’s Leadership, with regards to setup at least, has been a model organization for the MDI. The IWL has long been a strong force on the CSB campus throughout the years and SJU looks to have the same success with the MDI.
“The [MDI] is set up much more like the IWL now, which is a very active and public organization doing a tremendous amount of work,” Miller said.
The MDI has a goal and is ready to take it on.
As a more permanent organization on campus, the MDI hopes to show students new and innovative approaches toward empowerment. They want men to grow as individuals and pursue a positive culture of healthy masculinity.
“[The MDI] is working on programing activities that are both fun and meaningful. I think it is really an opportunity for some reflection and personal growth for somebody who identifies as male,” Miller said.
Those involved in the reboot are hopeful that students will take advantage of the new MDI. They believe in the goal of teaching students what it means to be a man today.
“I believe very strongly in the importance of this kind of men’s work. Men doing their work for what it means to be a man individually or collectively,” Jeff Glover, the Interim Director of Residential Life and Housing and the Interim Assistant Dean of Student Development, said.
Students at SJU are encouraged by MDI to take full advantage of their resources. MDI wants to help students develop an environment that encourages men to maximize their potential.
On top of this, they aim to provide a community that enables men to recognize and celebrate their masculinity while simultaneously acknowledging issues in society, like male privilege.
MDI is just one more layer of the liberal arts education. SJU wants its students to be exposed to a variety of viewpoints whether the students agree with them or not. In the puzzle that is liberal arts education, the MDI specifically intends to widen men’s knowledge on the space they occupy and how the world views them.
When asked why students should be involved with MDI Glover said, “That’s like asking why should people care about being a better human being. [MDI] is important.”