RBC Centura has pledged $1 million to the Leadership Initiative at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

RBC Centura’s gift will allow for expansion of the business school’s Leadership Initiative. Launched in August 2005, the experience-based program assesses and develops students’ leadership skills in a way that integrates their classroom learning with real-world application.

"RBC Centura’s contribution is an extension of its ongoing commitment to supporting education, diversity and economic development," said Scott Custer, CEO of RBC Centura. "We are excited to help create an environment in which outstanding students can flourish and businesses across our state are positioned for strategic growth."

During the spring 2006 semester, nearly 50 percent of MBA students chose to participate in one or more of the leadership-developing activities, in addition to their coursework. The program complements existing leadership courses to accelerate students’ development of leadership skills by:

• Offering students more opportunities to apply classroom learning to real-world situations through consulting projects for businesses and communities;
• Giving students the opportunity to role-play typical new manager situations, such as personnel issues or time-management challenges;
• Providing feedback and coaching to students after they complete leadership roles, such as being a student club leader;
• Exposing students to successful leaders through individual coaching and small group discussion;
• Offering mini workshops and seminars that complement classroom lessons.

"By exposing students to leadership principles inside and outside the classroom, we give them opportunities to put theory into practice," said Mindy Storrie, director of UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Leadership Initiative. "To our knowledge, no other business school offers such an integrated model for developing leadership and assisting in a state’s economic development."

"RBC Centura values its association with Kenan-Flagler Business School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and we feel honored to have a part in shaping the future leaders of our state and nation," Custer said.

This gift counts toward the $2 billion goal of the University’s Carolina First Campaign, a comprehensive, multi-year, private fund-raising campaign to support Carolina’s vision of becoming the nation’s leading public university.