STEUBENVILLE — Franciscan University of Steubenville will enhance its efforts to form Catholic leaders with the launch of the Leadership Institute at Franciscan University this fall. The institute, part of the university’s new strategic plan, reflects Franciscan’s commitment to help form students whose leadership will have a positive impact in the marketplace and help rebuild the church.

The institute will recognize that God calls each student to identify and pursue his or her special talents with passion and then to embrace leadership roles in science, technology, business, nursing, education or other career fields, as well as in family life, religious life, the priesthood or church ministry, officials said. It will help students answer that call by forming them in leadership craft centered Franciscan virtues and Catholic social teaching.

As it ramps up during the next two years, the institute will offer an executive leadership speaker series, develop and facilitate leadership workshops grounded in Christian virtues, establish a center dedicated to Catholic social teaching in the workplace, sponsor visiting fellows on the university’s campus and launch an entrepreneurship program, officials explained.

Doug Perry will serve as executive director for the program. Perry, who has served as an executive in residence at the university and as chairman of the university’s business advisory board. Earlier in his career, Perry was the vice president for global compliance at Honeywell International Inc. and a partner at the law firms of Sheppard Mullin and Fried Frank.

“Today’s culture too often emphasizes social change over individual accountability and ethics grounded in virtuous lives,” said Perry.

“As Catholics, we are called to be servant leaders–to speak the truth and to lead with courage, modesty, and integrity. The Leadership Institute will help the Franciscan community embrace a conscious leadership role grounded in the teachings of Christ.”

One of the institute’s most highly anticipated offerings is the entrepreneurship program that will lead to an academic minor in entrepreneurship. Slated to launch in fall 2022, the program will be open to students of all majors and offer courses in accounting, finance, marketing and other fields important to launching and growing a new business.

“The entrepreneurship program gives Franciscan University a unique opportunity to affect the way small businesses are created by sending forth entrepreneurs guided by Catholic social teaching, fueled by a relentless drive for innovation and dedicated to building up the kingdom of God,” said Thomas Kelly, chair of the business department at the university. “Our students, like generations of successful Franciscan alumni entrepreneurs before them, will be well equipped to establish for-profit and not-for-profit entities as well as ministries that rebuild our church and our world.”