{"id":4939,"date":"2026-01-05T06:00:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T11:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/?p=4939"},"modified":"2026-01-05T09:35:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T14:35:21","slug":"where-leadership-meets-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/2026\/01\/where-leadership-meets-sustainability\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Leadership Meets Sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shayne Simmons began volunteering in college. Service and sustainability are now part of his life\u2019s mission.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The late Pope Francis\u2019 encyclical Laudato Si\u2019,\u00a0issued in 2015, includes seven goals. Among them is \u201cecological spirituality and community involvement and participation.\u201d\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a goal embodied by Shayne Simmons \u201924\/M.P.A. \u201925, one of four students to receive Seton Hall\u2019s 2025 Servant Leader Award.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a graduate student in the school\u2019s public administration program with a focus on nonprofit management, Simmons often noticed lines of people at the local food bank as he walked to campus. As a member of the Environmental Sustainability Committee, Simmons believed there was a way to match this need with student volunteerism, leading to the formation of the campus Sustainability Club. The club\u2019s first big action was forming a partnership with local nonprofit Table to Table, New Jersey\u2019s largest food rescue organization. But that was just the start.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sustainability Club applies to environmental issues and social sustainability, and it can involve political, charitable or business entities,\u201d said Simmons. \u201cReally, any way that students can help provide sustainability is a fit.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With Table to Table, Simmons and the club spearheaded\u00a0a\u00a0campus-wide reduction in food waste, funneling unused food from the dining halls and around campus to the organization. \u201cWe collected food that would have been discarded and got it out to food pantries via volunteer drivers,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe estimated that the cafeterias throw out about 200 pounds of food every day.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Student and faculty volunteers\u00a0coordinated\u00a0these efforts every other Friday. Simmons estimates that in one year, they\u00a0saved more than 1,000 pounds of food from going to waste. Seeing the\u00a0impact\u00a0he could have\u00a0there,\u00a0Simmons turned his thoughts\u00a0to\u00a0other ways he could spark sustainability at Seton Hall.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One project involved the addition of a campus biodigester, a machine that composts food waste. After 24 hours, the biodigester produces a nutrient-rich soil additive that volunteers can distribute to the urban garden plots around campus, another project Simmons helped create. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It might not come as a surprise that Simmons\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0sit still for long. He also was a standout on the school\u2019s swim and dive team, working his way into the finals at the 2025 Big East Championships in both breaststroke and individual medley.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Following graduation last spring, Simmons continued investing time in sustainability and volunteerism. \u201cOver the summer, I worked on a project in Newark creating an urban farm that provided local, fresh produce in areas with little access to it otherwise,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Simmons\u2019 swimming career and service work have combined in his new career as\u00a0aquatic\u00a0director for a new boys and girls club in his home state of Connecticut. \u201cI plan to make a career out of service,\u201d he said. \u201cI realized that my most fulfilling time has been spent helping others.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a feeling I love.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Simmons credits his time at Seton Hall for inspiring him in this direction. \u201cI was surrounded by professors and staff who were receptive to my ideas,\u201d he said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have accomplished this work on my own.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He has a stack of medals and awards from his swimming career, all of which are meaningful to him. But\u00a0there was something special about his Service Leader Award, he said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the longest time, I came from the perspective that athletics\u00a0were\u00a0my priority,\u201d he explained. \u201cSeton Hall made me realize that academics and what I do outside my athletic career matter. College was my first opportunity to make a small difference, and\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0more rewarding than any award\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0received as an athlete.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amanda Loudin is a Maryland-based freelance writer.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shayne Simmons began volunteering in college. Service and sustainability are now part of his life\u2019s mission.\u00a0 The late Pope Francis\u2019 encyclical Laudato Si\u2019,\u00a0issued in 2015, includes seven goals. Among them is \u201cecological spirituality and community involvement and participation.\u201d\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a goal embodied by Shayne Simmons \u201924\/M.P.A. \u201925, one of four students to receive Seton Hall\u2019s 2025 Servant…<\/p>\n

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