A $2,000 grant from Target will help USC's Department of Student Life provide community service and leadership opportunities to students.

"The University has focused on developing leaders with an emphasis on service for several years," said Jerry Brewer, director of Student Life. "The Target grant funding demonstrates the support corporate America has in this concept."

A portion of the grant already has been used to bring Tim Elmore, founder of Growing Leaders, to campus. Elmore spoke to a group of approximately 250 students about cultivating leadership skills and seeking leadership opportunities on campus and in the community. Another portion of the grant supported the annual Student Leadership Training Conference.

The grant also will help fund "A Day in Dillon," a service project sponsored by the Department of Student Life in partnership with the state of South Carolina, Trenholm Road United Methodist Church, and other volunteers. During "A Day in Dillon" on Feb. 11, a group of 47 USC students and staff traveled to Dillon to help the local school district by painting classrooms; reading to children; and meeting parents, teachers, students and administrators.

The Department of Student Life is committed to providing programs and services that will enhance student development culturally, intellectually, emotionally, personally, socially, and spiritually. It is a departmental goal to enhance the student's experience on campus while also aiming to recruit, retain, and participate in the holistic development of the student.

For more information on the Department of Student Life's community service and leadership training programs, go to www.sa.sc.edu/stlife.

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