Last spring, during a Chapel Service, we inaugurated CU’s Service Excellence Institute! 

Servant leadership has long been a part of the legacy of Campbellsville University; It’s in our DNA. In academia, we use the term servant leadership, but outside the university, in the world of business, industry, and healthcare, it’s called service excellence. But these two ideas are really one and the same. 

The goal of the Service Excellence Institute is to embed these concepts of servant leadership and service excellence even more deeply and more intentionally into the culture of Campbellsville University. We envision the seamless integration of these principles across every aspect of the institution – from administrative processes to student life activities; from classrooms and recital halls to athletic fields and beyond the walls of this university. 

One of the ways we want to do this is through “the Extra Mile Initiative”. 

The Mission of this initiative is for you – students, faculty, and staff – to GO the EXTRA MILE by modeling excellence, investing effort and attention, leading others, and empowering transformation. 

This concept comes from Jesus, of course. We find this phrase, to “go the extra mile,” in His sermon on the Mount, which you will hear more about in just a few moments. But right now, I’d like to share with you how you can get connected and grow in these areas: modeling excellence, investing effort and attention, leading others, and empowering transformation in your circle of influence. 

And that is through… 

 

​The Extra Mile Certification 

You are invited – and I’m encouraging you today – to consider earning the Extra Mile Certification. This is completely free – no cost to you! And you can do it at your own leisure, simply by completing 24 achievements, which can be earned in the following ways: 

• Engaging with Leadership Content – Things like articles and podcasts we’ve curated for you. 
• Attending special Chapel services – like this one! Guess what, you’ve already completed your first achievement simply by being here today! (Now how hard was that?) 
• Participating in Featured Workshops – Many of these are offered every semester. 
• ​Service Projects – I know many individuals in this room have already participated in a service-learning project, or you’ve been on a missions trip. Now, you can receive credit toward certification for these types of activities. 
• Campus Leadership - Serve as a leader of a campus group, organization, or ministry. 
• Reading Groups – Starting next semester, we will have a special SEI reading group for students. Watch the campus announcements for the specifics about this. 

How, you may ask, can I find this content and keep track of the credits I need for certification? Where else? Moodle! 

Now, I will tell you that not everything I just mentioned is in Moodle right now, but it will be, and there is enough there for you to start today. 

And so you know, students, this initiative is open to faculty, staff, and coaches as well. This is a campus-wide initiative. We want to see every person serving every person with excellence, just as we serve our Lord Jesus, knowing that whatever we do, we are doing it for the glory of God!