Expertise in Grinnell

Steve Langerud, Executive Director of The Mayflower Community, is a nationally known facilitator and career counselor. Having previously worked with Grinnell College, the University of Iowa School of Law, DePauw University (Greencastle IN), and Maharishi University of Management (Fairfield IA), Langerud has counseled students while performing consulting engagements.

For the past couple of months, Langerud has been facilitating “Listening Sessions” with Grinnell-Newburg Community Schools Superintendent, Janet Stutz. The School District is exploring constituents’ needs for school physical facilities after two rejected school bond votes. In addition, Langerud has facilitates numerous organizations’ strategic planning and management development sessions.

On Friday, October 8th, Langerud participated with a national panel sponsored by the David Lynch Foundation at Maharishi University dealing with the subject, “Is College Bad for Your Brain?” Lynch is a well know filmmaker with credits including The Elephant Man and Twin Peaks.

The conference was designed to deal with the fact that college campuses are experiencing an epidemic of stress, mental health challenges, substance abuse, and poor lifestyle choices that are undermining students’ ability to learn. According to the magazine, The Iowa Source, “Three out of four students report feeling stressed, 39% of college freshmen report symptoms of anxiety or depression, and suicidal thoughts among students have doubled over the last 10 years.”

According to Iowa Source magazine, “Educator and workplace culture consultant, Steve Langerud, currently CEO at Mayflower Community, has counseled thousands of college students over the past 30 years at top schools like Grinnell and DePauw. ‘The one thing I have learned,’ he said, ‘is that the stressful lifestyle of college requires resilience to make it all work.’”

Leadership right here at Mayflower!

— Bob Mann, Sales & Marketing Director