July
2011
SLPKC
Preparing Future Leaders
Online Resources for Student Leadership Programs Student Leadership Programs KC has a variety of resources to assist you in developing, expanding, and assessing your leadership programs. We have a list of leadership journals and books as well as literature reviews. There is also a list of leadership conferences available. Want to share ideas and get feedback from your leadership colleagues? You can join the SLP listserv by emailing jdesanto@naspa.org and adding the subject line Join SLP listserv. Already on the listserv? Send an email to slp@listserv.naspa.org
Congrats DU Lead! June Spotlight Award Winner for Theory to Practice
D.U. Lead, the one day intensive leadership ins tute, at Denison University allows a select group of first and second year students the opportunity to develop a variety of leadership skills and challenges them to ques on how they will leave their mark at Denison. Working in small peer groups with junior and senior team facilitators, par cipants learn about the social change model of leadership development and how they can make a posi ve change during their me at Denison. This is a program we consider to be a best prac ce at Denison University because of its ability to meet its learning outcomes. An assessment of this past year’s program found that 100% of par cipants were glad they a ended and 100% would recommend the ins tute to a friend. This same assessment showed that the degree to which students felt their capacity for leadership improved fell in the 85%‐90% range (based on learning outcomes generated in accordance with CAS standards for leadership). The specific areas of focused growth and development are: intellectual growth, meaningful interpersonal rela onships, Collabora on, realis c self‐appraisal, clarified values & social responsibility. Addi onally, students’ knowledge of the Social Change Model of Leadership increases as a result of the ins tute. Prior to a ending D.U. Lead students ranked their knowledge of the Social Change Model as follows: 25% very unknowledgeable, 30% unknowledgeable, 35% average and 10% knowledgeable. At the conclusion of D.U. Lead, 70% indicated their knowledge greatly increased, while 30% said it slightly increased (no students selected greatly decreased, Slightly decreased or stayed the same). (Continued on page 4)
Brothers Out (BRO) program spotlightReaching >>> Theme Housing at Wake Forest University Leaders Modeling Collegiate Success Through Local Mentoring Program Many residen al campuses support ac ve and impac ul theme or living‐learning communi es. Although the structures vary by ins tu on, the underlying concept of crea ng inclusive and encouraging environments based on selected criteria remains consistent. The Theme Housing program sponsored by Residence Life and Housing at Wake Forest University is somewhat unique in that students have the opportunity to self‐select or create a theme house a er their first year on campus based on a shared interest, be it academic or co‐curricular. Residence Life and Housing promotes and supports faculty and student interac on through structured advising rela onships as part of the Theme Housing program. However, the program works to celebrate the students’ crea ve and entrepreneurial role of ini a ng or maintaining a Theme. Addi onally, most all of the theme communi es live in converted single‐family homes on the periphery of campus. Each year, communi es are focused on any number of themes, ranging from theatre, to the campus radio program, athle cs, diversity/inclusion, and mentoring.
A group of recent graduates who par cipated in the Theme Housing program at Wake Forest contributed a
las ng posi ve impact on their campus and the Winston‐Salem community. The Brothers Reaching Out (BRO) is a theme community of 12 African‐American male students who not only focus on achieving high academic and co‐ curricular success as students but also mentoring local middle school‐aged African‐American males. Members of BRO developed a rela onship with administrators from a nearby middle school and brought the students to campus two Saturdays a month for the last two years. In doing so, the mentees were able to see and learn what it is like to be a college student. One member of BRO stated that, “It is good for the boys to have realis c role models who are not on the television screen; guys who can relate to them and set a good example for them. Knowing that there are younger boys watching how you behave also encourages me to make sure I'm always minding my ac ons because they look up to us and our ac ons affect more than just ourselves.”
Upon reflec ng on his experience prior to gradua on, another member of BRO stated, “I think a sense of
brotherhood and the experience of working towards a common goal were invaluable results of living in a theme house. All of us living together for fied our friendships over the last two years and even more important our commitment to social ( c ontinued on page 4 )
DU Lead (Continued from page 2)
Professional Development How are you developing your staff to be better leadership educators?
Learn something great at a conference or workshop?
D.U. Lead is centered on teaching the par cipants the Social Change Model of Leadership. Throughout the ins tute, students examine the seven C’s of the social change model and par cipate in ac vi es to complement each aspect of the theory. Addi onally, the students are given challenging case studies where their knowledge of the theory is applied. The culmina ng project of the ins tute is a “Mark Mantra.” Students are given the opportunity to reflect on their passions and values at the ins tute, and to iden fy ways they can engage in related service to affect posi ve change at Denison based on those passions and values, using the social change model as the vehicle. This final ac vity in the ins tute is a call to ac on and challenges students to apply their theory they have learn throughout their Denison career. Kristy Barngrover and Natalie Pariano
(Continued from page 3)
jus ce going forward in our different lives has been strengthened.” The posi ve impact of the BRO community is not only evident with the students from Wake who par cipated but also with the middle school boys who have consistently spent me on campus. Another member of BRO commented, “The boys' grades have increased significantly since we started working with them a couple years ago. The boys genuinely are enthusias c to hang out with us, and they willingly engage in extracurricular ac vi es like basketball. We posi vely s mulate their minds while encouraging them to exercise and stay ac ve. It also helps when we take them to the pit, where we can ensure that they have a boun ful meal while they are with us. We do not want this to go away for them just because we have to graduate.” Their work has certainly encouraged con nued mentoring efforts on campus as members of BRO were able to successfully recruit a group of sophomore, junior, and senior students to con nue the mentoring rela onship established with local middle school students. Such a focus on mentoring has even inspired the addi on of a new theme house community comprised of both male and female students for the upcoming academic year.
Students were self‐directed in developing their ini al goals for the program but were supported by the structure
of con nual advising and financial resources. The experien al leadership gained through the theme mentoring program provides a framework for students to connect their liberal arts educa on with iden fied needs of the campus and local communi es. As one student described it, “Being a member of the BRO community has enabled me to con nue to embody the school's mo o of Pro Humanitate throughout my me at Wake Forest. BRO's tutoring component has enabled me to put the liberal arts educa on received here to good use by having fundamental knowledge of a wide range of subjects.” Such applica on of student learning is a worthy goal of any program, and when combined with an ins tu onal focus on service, it is exci ng to see!
Ashley Jones, Wake Forest University
Purposeful Leadership: Developing Professionals as Change Agents Mallory Trochesset - University of South Florida J. Matthew Garrett, Emory University
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uch of our work is dedicated to helping college students iden fy their leadership capacity, build leadership skills, and create posi ve change. Yet, the Student Leadership Programs Knowledge Community Pre‐Conference The Multi-Institutional Study of team wanted to tackle the ques on, “Who are we as change agents in this Leadership (MSL) is an annual, world?” The pre‐conference workshop served as a forum to explore our iden es and lenses and how they impact our role as leadership educators. It is national survey of leadership through this work on ourselves, first, that we can inspire our students to lead development among college students. lives of purpose. It explores the role of higher education in developing leadership capacities Using the Leadership Iden ty Development Model (Komives, Owen, et. al; 2005) with a special focus on specific as a founda on, prac oners examined how they developed their leadership environmental conditions that foster iden es. Inten onal reflec on of our leadership journeys and external leadership development. MSL is influences (both individual and group) was an important component, because conducted in partnership with the recogni on of leadership iden es significantly informs how leadership National Clearinghouse of Leadership programs and experiences are designed. Answering the following ques ons is a Programs (NCLP). helpful way to begin: When were you first aware that leaders existed? When did you inten onally join an organiza on? How have your values evolved? Have they impacted when, where, and how you get involved in change efforts? How would you describe your daily leadership prac ces? Who or what are your leadership influences? How have they changed your percep on of leadership? Once we understand our own leadership journey, we can develop inten onal experiences that best support the students’ needs. Missing this vital step can be detrimental. How can we expect students to explore their leadership if we do not inten onally and regularly examine our own assump ons, beliefs, and values? As important as it is to recognize our leadership iden es, we are learning through current research that our most salient self‐discovery is o en wrapped up in our personal iden es (race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orienta on, etc.). Therefore, it is important for us to dig deeper into our iden es and how they show up in our work. Considera on of our iden es and associated power/privilege help us determine how these parts of “who we are” show up in our percep ons, understanding, and assump ons of leadership. We must ask ourselves which of these group iden es we are most and least aware of; and furthermore, what are the iden es of the students we work with? We must be mindful of our iden es and the influence they could have on students. Only once we have this understanding of self are we able to develop a common language and belief about leadership. “[Leadership] is exploding across the university right now and is evident across mul ple areas and disciplines,” said Dr. Craig Slack, Assistant Director for the Stamp Student Union‐Center of Campus Life and Director of the Na onal Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs (personal communica on, March 13, 2011). Slack noted that leadership is becoming a learning outcome for all students, not just those in formal leadership posi ons. Our role as leadership educators must extend beyond the tradi onal student affairs realm to reach the en re university. “Because so many defini ons of leadership exist we o en use it as an excuse not to have our own defini ons; however, we must be grounded in a defini on as individuals, departments and divisions to steer
MSL Information
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leadership educa on,” said Dr. Laura Osteen, Director of the Center for Leadership and Civic Educa on at Florida State University (personal communica on, March 13, 2011). Developing a shared defini on of leadership was an emerging trend discussed during the pre‐conference session. Region 1 Think about your college campus‐what are the various Brian Quinlan approaches to leadership that exist? What mixed messages Anna Maria College about leadership are you poten ally sending? Understanding leadership and developing a common language is essen al in Region 2 crea ng the most valuable leadership experience. A recent study Leah Barrett confirms that students are less impacted by the format and SUNY-Brockport design of one leadership experience and more impacted by a Region 3 sustained, high‐impact pedagogical approach to leadership Leslie Grinage development (Dugan, J. P. Bohle, C. W., et. al., 2011). Moving out Duke University of our silos and collabora ng with campus partners is essen al. Region 4E While the process looks different at various campuses, a Michael Baumhardt University of Scranton common star ng point is bringing together a group of campus cons tuents commi ed to the cause. Consider those who teach Region 4W and develop leadership, including academic partners. Consider Gretta Mincer where leadership is “taking place” on campus. Consider the Metropolitan State College students who need to be included. Bringing a large group together can be overwhelming, but using Oldmeadow’s (2009) Region 5 Eric Alexander approach of seeking out a universalism based on common or Oregon State University shared values will help you move forward versus ge ng caught up in poten al differences. Campus partners may have different Region 6 beliefs about leadership, but examining the similari es first is Steven Lerer essen al in enac ng change. For examples of campuses who University of CaliforniaRiverside have successfully moved through this process, turn to the partnerships developed at both Duke University and Emory University. Understanding our leadership journey and knowing our iden es is an important first step in developing as true change agents for our campus and renewing leadership for the en re university community. We welcome ar cles that discuss trends, original ideas, and Bibliography: detail best prac ces in student leadership in higher educa‐ Dugan, J. P., Bohle, C. W., Gebhardt, M., Hofert, M., Wilk, E., & on. Cooney, M. A. (2011). Influences of leadership program par cipa on on students’ capaci es for socially responsible leadership. Journal of For more informa on about submi ng to our newsle er, Student Affairs Research and Prac ce, 48(1), 65‐84. please e‐mail your inquiry to SLPKC.NASPA@gmail.com. Komives, S. R., Owen, J. E., Longerbeam, S., Mainella, F. C., & Osteen, L. (2005). Developing a leadership iden ty: A grounded Submission Deadline Issue Date theory. Journal of College Student Development, 46, 593‐611. June 17, 2011 July 8, 2011 September 16, 2011 October 7, 2011 Oldmeadow, H. (2009). Crossing the great divide: Some Chris an responses to the modern encounter of religions. Religions, 160‐173. December 9, 2011 January 6, 2012 Retrieved June 21, 2011 from h p://www.dicid.org/english/ March 16, 2012 April 7, 2012 Journals/0En.pdf.
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