Master of Nonprofit Administration
Field Project MNA75110
Fall 2009
Instructor:
Dr. Theresa Ricke-Kiely
Office: 340 Mendoza College of Business
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
Contact Information
Email: ricke-kiely.1@nd.edu
Telephone:
574-631-9532 office
574-217-8542 home
(Available 7:00 am - 9:00 pm EST)
574-303-2816 cell
Office Hours: By appointment to assure availability. I typically respond within 24 hours
however, please do not hesitate to call or email again should I be detained for any reason.
Course Learning Objectives
•To provide a capstone experience for students emphasizing the practice of nonprofit leadership
and administration
•To integrate classroom theory into nonprofit practice
•To contribute to the mission fulfillment of a nonprofit organization or the nonprofit community
•To demonstrate the ability to locate, integrate and critically evaluate field literature and nonprofit
business practice
•To critically think through issues and effectively analyze nonprofit problems
•To prepare and deliver a formal nonprofit document that represents excellent business writing,
planning, and project development.
•To write a well-organized paper (project) that integrates theory, practice and personal experience
Prerequisites
Ideally, the student should have much of the core coursework completed. This will provide access
to the educational tools and resources available to MNA students.
Course Materials
Suggested: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition
This course does not involve formal readings however, it would benefit the student to use BIC
resources including services such as Docushare.
Project specific articles may be shared throughout the course as needed.
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Overview of the Course
This is the capstone experience for students in the Master of Nonprofit Administration program.
It is assumed that students have a fundamental knowledge of the nonprofit sector including
nonprofit theory and principles. The course will focus on the development of an agreed upon
project that supports the sector.
Project
The student will choose a project that would benefit a nonprofit organization or the nonprofit
community. The project can start before the student registers for the course but the written
proposal must be accepted by the instructor and by the nonprofit organization. The project must
be completed (and delivered to instructor and organization) by the end of the course (see course
outline section). The project must be submitted to the nonprofit organization for consideration.
Ideally, the project will be implemented. The student must provide the organization’s comments
in final project. Therefore, careful planning by the student is required.
Business Writing
At times, projects require sources to support the process or argument of a particular project. If
sources are needed, it is preferred that APA style of writing be used for the paper. This style
eliminates words like “I” or “We” and mandates a style that complements proper business
writing. The student is encouraged to submit written work in advance for feedback and
commentary.
Project Guide
Occasionally the student may wish to work with an expert in the field to gain insights, mentoring,
and/or direction. This may be an industry expert or faculty member. It is the student’s
responsibility to access this person and to assure the person gives feedback to the student and to
the instructor.
Project Examples
There are a plethora of examples of field projects located in the MNA program. Please see the
instructor for a set of examples (onsite access only). Past projects include Business Plans,
Strategic Plans, Marketing Proposals, etc.
Commentary
In addition to the project, the student will prepare a commentary, as an addendum to the project.
This is the student’s opinion and summary of the experience. The commentary is limited to three
pages and should include insights about the project, organizational reaction (acceptance or
rejection) and other interesting discoveries.
This is a semester project. The student has every chance to get improve the final work over the
semester since it is a progressive work. The student may submit drafts, outlines etc. for instructor
feedback up to two weeks before the final project is due.
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Course Outline
Written proposal of project emailed to instructor (prior to student registration).
-
Name/contact information
-Project Organization(s)
Timeline
-Project Description
Methodology
-Anticipated Outcome(s)
Project Products (report to board of directors, business plan, etc.)
Other details that may be important to share
Four Progress meetings (discussion of project with instructor is meeting one and three additional
progress meetings throughout the registered semester to be initiated by the student.
Final project delivered to instructors mailing address in business format. DUE: December 14,
2009 5:00 pm
It is anticipated this project will consume about 100 hours which is consistent with a three credit
graduate level course.
*Grading
Project/Commentary
Progress Meetings (minimum four formal conversations)
Grading Scale:
A
94-100%
B+
87-89%
C+
77-79%
D
67-69%
AB
C
F
90-93%
84-86%
B74-76%
C66% or below
75%
25%
80-83%
70-73%
*This is a proactive course. The absence of a scheduled “class” requires the student to create a
schedule and determine course progress. “Incompletes” are not given for this course except for
extreme cases, as determined by the instructor. All work must be completed to pass the course.
Student and Academic Integrity
Plagiarism (using others’ work, including paraphrasing—from the web or anyplace
else—without proper attribution) will result in a failing grade for the assignment.
Plagiarism is a violation of the University of Notre Dame’s Graduate Business Honor
Code and is a serious offense. Violations may result in failure of course or dismissal.
Student grievances begin with the MNA Director.
Students with Disabilities
It is the student’s responsibility to provide the instructor with documented information
about a disability in a timely manner so that accommodations may be instituted. For
more information, please contact the Office of Disability Services at 574-631-7157.
Other
The project will be property of the MNA program upon completion. It may be used for students
or alumni after it is submitted.
This is a tentative syllabus and the instructor reserves the right to amend or adjust the content of
the syllabus to meet the objectives of the course. Any changes will be announced via email.
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