Columbus State University today officially opened the William B. Turner Center for Servant Leadership inside the Schuster Student Success Center on CSU’s Main Campus. Turner was instrumental in initiating CSU's focus on Servant Leadership, and launched the first discussions about a Servant Leadership program and offered significant financial support of early Servant Leadership initiatives.  

Established in 2017, the center was named in Turner’s honor following a $1 million gift from The Coca-Cola Foundation. The renaming and rededication of the Turner Center for Servant Leadership honors Turner for bringing the philosophy of servant leadership to the CSU campus and to the Columbus community.

“For those of us who graduated from the Servant Leadership Program, Mr. Turner was an incredible role model and a committed investor in our educational experience. He shared his passion for servant leadership (and his love for Coke in a good, old-fashioned glass bottle) with us as often during his lifetime,” said Corney Wilson, director of the Servant Leadership program. “As a very proud alumna of the Servant Leadership Program, I want to make sure that Mr. Turner’s presence is felt by everyone who visits our new home on campus and that his legacy of love is continued on forever.”

“The program taught me more about myself, this community, and leading with a servant's heart than I could ever put into words,'' added Asley Jones, Turner’s granddaughter, graduate of the Servant Leadership program, and CSU’s nursing program. “I still use so many things that I learned in this program as a nurse, as an employee, as a coworker, as a friend, as a wife, and now as the mom of two beautiful boys. I will always be grateful to this program and what it has taught me.”

Since 1999, Columbus State has offered an undergraduate program in servant leadership. Today, the center supports staff, faculty, and students in their leadership development journeys. Among the programs delivered by the center are a Servant Leadership undergraduate program, which offers an annual stipend and leadership development opportunities for students throughout their entire undergraduate career; an internal leadership development program for faculty and staff called L.I.V.E. CSU; and a food pantry that serves CSU students.

In 2019, The Coca-Cola Foundation awarded $1 million to Columbus State University to establish The William B. Turner Center for Servant Leadership. The gift enabled the undergraduate Servant Leadership program to continue with a robust academic and service curriculum. 

For more information on the William B. Turner Center for Servant Leadership, please visit, servantleadership.columbusstate.edu/