NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University business majors are taking notes from the U.S. military.

On Sept. 7, more than 40 students from the College of Business participated in a daylong leadership seminar conducted by a group of Marines.

The workshop was part of Marine Week, an annual event in which the Corps take over a major city to show the public the capabilities of the U.S. Marine. It includes displays of some of the military’s big guns and hard wares, as well as appearances at schools and veteran hospitals.

At the downtown Avon Williams Campus, students participated in the Marine Corps Leadership Seminar, which exposes business students to Marine Corps leadership principles that ensure success in the business world.

It emphasizes courage, tenacity and teamwork they say are needed to “help you stand out from the competition.”

“We really think that the same leadership traits and principles that are used in the Marine Corps, whether on the battlefield or whether at bases or stations, are the same type of leadership that is required and expected of business leaders,” Marine Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Bailey said.

A 39-year veteran of the U.S. military, Bailey is the Marine deputy commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations.

He said the seminar also provides an opportunity to expose Tennessee State University students to young Marines as they talk about their experiences in the Corps.

“The leadership traits and principles that they have lived through in the Marine Corps are the same ones that the students can gain from, such as integrity and initiative, to be successful in the business world,” Bailey said.

Derrien Munroe is a senior business administration major with concentration in marketing. His future goal is to own a marketing firm. He said the seminar was very timely and taught him skills that could be critical in his future.

“What I take away from this seminar is how to be a better leader using ethics and morals to problem solve and develop better decision-making to better cope in life,” Munroe said. “I learned snippets and tools to correlate in the business world.”

The Dean of the College of Business, Dr. Millicent Lownes-Jackson, said the Marine Corps Leadership Seminar was in line with the goal of the college to equip business students with a “strong portfolio of valuable leadership skills” that attract potential employers.

“That is why this leadership seminar was so vastly important, as it afforded our students the opportunity to learn the Marine’s world-renowned principles that form the traits and values that define character as a leader,” Lownes-Jackson said.

This marks the first year of the College’s involvement with Marine Week Nashville. 

For more information about U.S. Marine Week events, visit www.usmarineweek.comDepartment of Media Relations

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With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.