Business Professor Douglas Johnson integrates service in leadership course

March 31, 2026 - 20:32

In a powerful fusion of classroom theory and tangible action, Professor Douglas Johnson recently led his business leadership students in a service initiative directly on campus. The group assembled outside Farrell Hall to construct beds for the North Carolina nonprofit, A Bed and A Book.

This hands-on project is a core component of Johnson's curriculum, designed to instill the principles of service-oriented leadership. Students moved beyond textbook case studies to address a immediate community need, learning about logistics, teamwork, and social impact through direct experience.

The completed beds will be delivered by the nonprofit to local families in the Winston-Salem area. A Bed and A Book operates on the belief that a stable and comfortable place to sleep is fundamental to a child's well-being and ability to thrive, often pairing each donated bed with books to encourage literacy.

For the students, the project underscored the profound responsibility businesses and leaders have to their communities. The activity provided a practical lesson in how organizational skills and collaborative effort can be channeled to create meaningful, positive change. Professor Johnson's integrated approach highlights a growing trend in business education, where ethical leadership and civic engagement are considered indispensable to professional development.