New Certificate Program in Leadership, Faith and Spirituality

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Judith Neal is director of the Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace, is offering a certificate program in leadership, faith and spirituality for business executives and community leaders. The workshop is being held in conjunction with the Center for Management and Executive Education. Both centers are part of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas,

The six-day program begins on Sept. 28 with two days of training at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development on the university campus. The group will then meet for two days in October and two days in November. Each participant will take on a “breakthrough initiative” that will consist of a real-time case study in their organization or with their clients. 

For registration and more information, go to Center for Management and Executive Education on the Web or call 1-888-824-3933.

“This is the only program of its kind in the country,” said Judith Neal, director of the Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace. “This certificate program fulfills a great need for people who are interested in being trained and credentialed in this emerging field.”

Faith and spirituality in the workplace is a very new field of study and practice. In 2009, the Walton College established the first outreach center of this type to be located in a public institution. The Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace was made possible through a $2 million gift from the Tyson Family Foundation and Tyson Foods, Inc, which was matched by the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, Inc., creating a $4 million endowment.

Neal said, “Many people are interested in learning about ways to integrate faith and spirituality in the workplace as we’ve seen at Tyson Center events. In addition, people who are business leaders, business owners, coaches, workplace chaplains and consultants, have been asking about how they can get legitimate training and credentials in this field.” 

Last September, Neal spoke at the Tyson Foods annual Chaplains’ Conference. Several of the chaplains inquired if there were courses or degrees in faith and spirituality in the workplace at the University of Arkansas. One chaplain explained that his plant manager sees him as very valuable when it comes to employees who are having a personal crisis, such as a death in the family. However, he went on to say, he and many of the chaplains he knows would like to contribute more directly to their organization as they strive to be a faith-friendly organization. 

“People who are strongly committed to making a difference in the workplace and interested in transformational change will be interested in this certificate,” said Neal. “We are looking for people who want to take their leadership to the next level of effectiveness.”